


The Ghosts of Varykino

by Ayearandaday



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Scooby Doo Fusion, Badass Rey, Ben is secretly afraid of tiny opinionate women, Blackmail, Could Padme fit her wedding dress?, Evil Property Developers, F/M, Finn and Rey are siblings, Finn loves old things, Finn's love life is complicated, First Order is up to no good, Foreshadowing, Ghost Whisperer Madame Netal, Inspired by Scooby Doo, Multi, Non-Consensual Touching, Professor Ben, Rey has good adoptive parents, Rey is adopted, Rey is no damsel in distress, Rey secretly loves grumpy cats, Snoke is a bad guy, Threats of Violence, What happened to Padme?, Writer Ben, and horror movies, and so is Hux, classic Scooby-Doo trope, ghost busters, meddling mom Leia, no graphic description, no one knows exactly, non-consensual thumb twisting, scary librarians, surprise, take a wild guess - Freeform, the Skywalkers are cryptic, the gang are sceptics, the wedding dress strikes back, there are ghosts after all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-11-25 21:07:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20918615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayearandaday/pseuds/Ayearandaday
Summary: Rey and her team of amateur ghost-busters are ivestigating the case of Varykino mansion. Pity that their clients  conveniently forgot to mention that the house is currently occupied by a certain moody tennantOr Scooby-Doo AU no one asked for.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by Scooby-Doo, with which I was obsessed as a child and also by a local show called Mystical Ukraine, where a team of experts solve various natural and supernatural mysteries.  
A giant thank you to fulcrum_of_pemberley, my wonderful beta.  
Enjoy!

Rey pensively ran her finger over the coffee cup rim. Her friends shot her a couple of interested glances but didn’t ask anything just yet. They’d been close for a couple of years (except for Finn, her adoptive brother, with whom she’d been thick as thieves since age ten) and knew her too well.

"Guys, I need your help."

“Please, say you’ll consider dating again,” begged Rose, a cute Asian girl with thick black bangs. Poe, looking fabulous in an orange shirt against his olive-colored skin, grinned predatorily. Rey paled and pressed herself closer to Finn who wrapped his arm around her protectively. Those two menaces _loved _getting themselves invested in others’ personal lives.

“No, _no, no, no_. I got a message from a client.” That perked them up even more.

“A client or _a client_?” Technically, they all had very different areas of interest. Rey was starting grad school for Civil Engineering. Finn was going to graduate with a Screenwriting degree. Poe was a commercial pilot. Rose recently dropped out from Med school to follow her true passion of Mechanical Engineering. But they shared one passion; they busted ghosts. They weren’t like any other ghost hunters or paranormal aficionados. No, their team focused on finding out what seemed to be, looked like, or pretended to be a supernatural entity and then proved that it was either a natural cause or someone's foul play. So far, real ghosts hadn’t graced them with their presence.

“_A client_. Even _the_ client,” emphasized Rey. “The money is good but...” she trailed off indecisively.

"But something doesn't add up,” Finn finished for her. They might not look like siblings, his chocolate skin against her tan, but the bond they shared ran deeper than any blood connection could.

“Yes and no,” she sighed. “The offer came from the Organa-Skywalker Foundation.”

Her friends simultaneously dropped their jaws. 

“From where?!”

“You serious?”

“As cancer,” Rey deadpanned.

“You don't seem happy about that,” noted Finn. For someone with his head in the clouds he was remarkably observant.

“They – the Organa-Skywalkers – want us to check a family mansion,” she continued as Poe and Rose practically jumped in excitement. “In Naboo.” That gave them pause.

“But it's...” Rose did the math in her head.

“A six-hour trip, yes.” Rey stared at her cup again. “And they want us to stay there for a whole week. All expenses are covered, of course.”

Poe’s brows shot up. “They, like, offered you all of this _through an email_? Without a meeting?” It was odd, usually people wanted to at least talk to them first. Besides, they rarely got paid for their hobby, usually working for sheer enthusiasm.

Rey sighed. “The owner, Leia, wants to meet me on Thursday.”

He whistled. “Leia Organa? Girl, you _must _take it! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity.” Not every day did the biggest city benefactor show interest in their little rag-tag group.

“I know, I just...” she looked at them helplessly.

“Rey?” Rose frowned.

“I kind of have a weird feeling about it.”

Her friends looked puzzled. “Rey Smith thinks with her gut and not with her head?” Poe shook his head incredulously. “That's new.”

“It's stupid,” she muttered, embarrassed.

“It's not,” disagreed her brother, rubbing her back. “I know you, Peanut, if you think it's a bad idea, just ignore it. That's not like the last client ever.”

Rey sighed again. She seemed to do it an awful lot lately. “I don't want to ruin our future chances, we are a team after all.” Their opinion meant a lot to her.

Rose considered her for a second. “You know what? Meet her. At least you'll see if something fishy is going on.”

“I could go with you if you want,” offered Poe. “Or lend you BB.”

“No, thanks. Besides, a Jack Russell terrier is _such_ a scary dog,” Rey snorted.

Poe looked appalled. “Don't underestimate my precious.”

The whole group broke down in giggles.

“Rey Smith?” A blond receptionist smiled at her. “Madam Organa is expecting you.” The girl pointed at the heavy mahogany door.

The whole office with its marble floors and shiny furniture put Rey a bit on edge, making her adjust her button-down compulsively. She knocked politely and let herself in. Inside was a wide elegant office designed in soft beige and brown shades. Behind a heavy wooden table (it looked like real wood) was a short, middle-aged dark-haired woman with an elaborate hairstyle, quietly conversing with a similar-aged bearded man in glasses. Rey dimly remembered that the siblings were actually twins.

"Um, hello," she greeted them awkwardly. feeling out of place there. The siblings smiled.

"Good afternoon, Miss Smith. My name is Leia and this is Luke, my brother."

"My pleasure," nodded the man.

"Likewise. And please, call me Rey."

"Very well, Rey. In that case please, call me Leia," her hostess smiled. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions." _The understatement of the century._

"I do." The real problem was how to pick the first one. "How... where did you hear about us?"

"Your team is quite famous in certain circles," Leia replied elusively, her lips curling into a small smile.

"But still, we are just a bunch of amateurs," Rey pointed out. "There are a number of professional paranormal investigators, ghost hunters, whatever. Surely someone like you would want someone more..." _Famous, outstanding, experienced, take your pick._

"We want results and from what I heard yours are so far impressive," answered the other sibling, Luke. "Lor San Tekka is an old friend of mine." _Oh._ Rey remembered that case, one of their first, when a couple of teenagers decided it would be fun to hide some speakers inside an old church and to turn them on whenever they felt like it.

"And you were heavily recommended by my husband," added Leia. 

"Oh? I don't remember working for a Mr. Organa."

"No, not Organa, Solo," clarified the woman with a smile. “People often get confused.” Rey stared at her with wide eyes, baffled

"_Han Solo_? I just had a gig at his garage a couple of times, nothing else."

"I know, dear," Leia replied smoothly, "but he said you are good at fixing things. And that’s what I need. I want you to prove that there are no ghosts in my family house."

"I can do that," the girl nodded eagerly. The twins shared a satisfied smile

"That's what we hoped to hear. So, the house, well, estate is more accurate, belonged to our mother. It is called Varykino. Have you heard of it?"

"Not really."

"Anyway, it's an old family property with quite a history." The woman turned her computer screen, showing a stunning old fashioned three story building.

"It is very beautiful," Rey breathed.

"Yes, I believe," conceded Luke. "Our family doesn't actually live there."

"Because of the ghost?" Rey immediately showed her professional side. 

"No, it's simply too far from Coruscant," explained Leia. "Our lives are here. Truth be told, I've never experienced anything supernatural there. Have you?" she turned to her brother.

"No, never."

Rey was deeply puzzled. "Then how do you know it is haunted?" 

The twins shared a look. To an outsider it seemed like they had a silent conversation. "There have always been rumors," Leia said slowly. "You see, our mother died on the premises."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago," Luke waved her off.

"Was that when the phenomena began?"

The twins shared another look. "A couple of years ago?" The woman looked unsure.

"Yes, I think you are right," nodded her brother. "After Arti and Celia left."

"Arti and Celia?" Rey already made a mental note to check on them.

"The caretakers. A lovely old couple, had been with our family since forever. They retired two years ago."

"I see. Have they had any unusual problems?" 

Luke frowned. "I don’t think so."

"At least they haven’t mentioned anything," agreed his sister. The two of them made Rey more and more confused with every passing second.

"That’s odd. Since neither of you have encountered anything, um, suspicious, I have to ask. Where did the whole haunted thing came from? Aside from your mother’s death."

"That’s the real question," Luke responded cryptically. _What was with this family and vague statements?_

"Frankly, we are not sure," continued Leia, unsurprisingly. "Nothing like that happened when we were younger."

"Well, there were rumors," pointed out her brother, "but nothing concrete."

"Our family stayed in that house more than once without any issues."

"At least until Celia and Arti left."

"What’s happened since then?" asked Rey trying to make sense of the story. Leia was silent for a few moments, thinking.

"You see, because of their age they couldn’t do any massive repairs. Arti left a list of things that should be taken care of, like roof leaks or broken stairs, so I hired a local crew. _That’s _when the stories began."

"What kind of rumors?"

The twins looked at each other again. "At first they started complaining of the odd atmosphere, like the feeling of being watched. We simply assumed the crew just wanted a raise. Then came creepy noises and suspicious shadows and stuff like that," continued Leia.

"It’s an old house, it just settles," scoffed Luke.

"That’s what I told them," pointed out his sister.

"Anything else?" Rey prompted them.

"A week later, the crew started claiming that things disappeared or moved on their own. The foreman fell from the stairs, though _he_ insisted he was pushed," the woman continued.

"A poltergeist, then." _It might just as well be alcohol abuse, but who knew?_

"Perhaps? It was weird that a crew of grown-ass men was afraid of ghosts, so we, my husband and I, went to Naboo to see for ourselves."

"And?" Rey held her breath.

"Varykino was empty. The crew had left the day before. _Something,_ I don’t know what, they refused to talk about it, happened there. They left and not a single soul would agree to finish the work. I had to hire people from two towns over," Leia's face pinched from the memory.

"Did the new crew have any problems?"

"No, but the damage was already done. We still can’t find a caretaker."

"Interesting," Rey muttered to herself, still confused.

"Enough to take the job?" quipped Luke. The girl looked intently at the siblings.

"Can I be frank?" They nodded. "You told me quite a story, but I still don’t understand. Why _us_? Why _now_?"

"The caretaker…"

"Can be hired from another city. Even better – some people will pay _you_ just to live in a haunted house." Which was true. She had seen the type more than once. "You want an amateur crew to change the perception of the whole town? That’s not gonna happen. Do you want to sell the house?"

"Of course not!" Leia rebuffed. "I’ve already refused a couple of offers."

"So?" Rey looked at the twins expectantly. They shared a look. _Again._ It was getting on her nerves.

"Tell her," shrugged Luke. His sister sighed, then pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Rey, this will come out weird, but please, bear in mind that I am not a superstitious person. It’s more my brother’s forte, despite being a Math professor," she jabbed lightly. The man huffed.

"Yesterday’s magic is today’s science, dear sister."

"Oh, hush. Anyway. I had a dream." Leia looked deeply uncomfortable.

"A dream," Rey deadpanned.

"Of my late mother, Padme." The woman nervously palmed her hair. "You see, this never happens to me, we don’t even remember her. In this dream she was rather frantic, pleaded with me to save the house and our family. She kept asking me to make it right, _to fix it_. When I woke up I first laughed it off, but it just returned again and again. I was so tired of it, I called Luke. He thought Varykino needed literal fixing."

"Doesn’t it always?" the man asked.

"But no crew wanted to take the job because of the ghost," she sighed.

"I don’t blame them."

"_I_ do." Leia turned back to Rey. "That’s when we decided that the problem wasn’t the house, but the ghost."

"And here come us," the girl guessed.

"Precisely. A ghostbusters team that won’t be spooked easily," Leia smiled.

"But why _us_? There are dozens…"

"I know, I used Google. And when I saw your photo on that web-site…" the woman looked away, "you reminded me so much of my mother, I just… _knew_. And then Han recognized you." Leia's lips curled up. "You know what he said? “_That’s Rey, she is good at fixing things._” The woman looked at her intently. Of all things she could’ve said, that was probably the most confusing. Twilight Zone-level confusing.

"That’s very…" Rey trailed off, unable to convey her skepticism.

"Trust me, I _know,_" Leia nodded emphatically. "I understand. At least I think so. Just…" she waved her hand, "take your time, talk to your team and give us a decision." That was probably the best course of action in this situation.

"I will," promised Rey, feeling not even a little less conflicted than she had at the beginning. "Thank you for the meeting."

"Thank _you_," replied the twins.

They were all lounging in Poe’s living room listening to Rey with matching flabbergasted expressions.

“That’s weird AF,” proclaimed Finn, his head on Rose’s knees and his legs secure in Poe’s lap. For the umpteenth time Rey wondered what exactly was going on between the three of them. She knew that both Poe and Rose had developed feelings for her brother. Why wouldn’t they? Finn was a sweetheart and a dreamer, always loyal to a fault, with kind brown eyes and a beautiful face. What Rey didn’t know is whether _he_ shared any of those feelings. She didn’t want to meddle, but she wished she could spare them all from a heartbreak.

“You don’t say,” she deadpanned.

“What are you going to do?” asked Rose, her fingers threading gently over Finn’s hair.

“I don’t know yet. What do you think?”

Poe hummed. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m intrigued.”

“And we could use the money,” added Rose.

“And the vacation,” Finn sighed wistfully. “Just _look_ at these photos.” He showed them again the pictures from Leia’s file.

“Yes, but a whole week…” Rey trailed off unsure.

“Grad school is not starting until January,” Rose pointed out, “and since I dropped out…” The girl sighed. Her parents didn’t take it well that yet another daughter wouldn’t be following in their footsteps.

“You can still pick up some classes.”

“Not until spring,” she answered sadly. Rey nodded, her hand lazily petting BB.

“Finn?”

“Oh? I think I can take a week off, we are supposed to work on our final project anyway. Poe?”

“Sure,” the man grinned. Something about it seemed suspicious.

Rey narrowed her eyes. “Poe?”

“I’m kind of suspended for the month for insubordination,” he laughed awkwardly.

“Poe!”

“Look at the bright side! We all can go now!”

“You are an idiot,” snorted Finn.

The other man winked. “You like me anyway.”

Six hours was a long trip. They took turns driving Poe’s van. Rey even managed to take a nap. The landscape outside was turning progressively more rural and BB, poor darling, was becoming more and more anxious. Finally they passed a Naboo direction sign and Rey breathed out a sigh of relief. They were almost there. To pass the remaining time, she decided to begin their preliminary brainstorming.

"So, what do we know about Varykino mansion?"

"Built in the late eighteenth century by a family with Italian origins. Some resources said the Naberries were even related to royalty. Remodeled in the nineteenth century when they made good investments in the steel industry," Rose chirped dutifully. She clearly did her Googling. 

"Leia even sent us the original blueprints," added Finn. Rey nodded. She had already half-memorized them.

"Any sordid stories?"

"Nothing," Poe scoffed. "They were quite prim and proper, I would say boring. Good marriages, good investments, good horses, you know." He made a sour face.

"Until Padme," Finn said with a dreamy look in his eyes. "She was a rebel back in the day. Married a man younger than her, without money and against her parents’ will. I like her," he added wistfully.

"Why am I not surprised?" murmured Rose, eying him longingly from the corner of her eye.

"And now her ghost haunts the house," finished Poe.

Rey hummed. "I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I did some research, and aside from Leia’s and Luke’s words there is no mention of supernatural activity. No witnesses, no urban legends, nothing. We don’t even know whether it’s one ghost or several."

Rose nodded. "We’ll have to ask locals."

"And we’ll need to track down that crew," added Finn.

Poe flashed him a charming smile. "This will be fun."

The house was incredible. In person it looked even better than in photos, a beautiful three-story building with columns and a two-sided staircase with a fountain in the middle. Everything was covered in ivy and autumn leaves which, instead of looking unkempt, only added to the character. The sky in beautiful shades of purples, pinks and oranges made a perfect backdrop for Varykino Mansion. Rey idly wondered whether her phone could capture the gorgeous picture. Poe whistled.

“Wow,” gasped Rose.

“Double wow,” Finn supported her. “That’s the ultimate haunted house.”

BB yapped in agreement, running excited circles around them. His owner shook his head. “It’s a fucking palace.” It looked the part. The place was made for a costume drama like Finn was so fond of.

When they’d found a suitable place to park Poe’s van, Rey fished out a set of keys Leia provided and grinned.

“Investigation time.”

Her friends whooped excitedly. They all shared the same thrill of venturing into the unknown, unearthing a mystery others couldn’t. The key went in smoothly. The hall looked much neater than she expected, without dust or cobwebs dangling from the ceiling. At least this part of the house was cleaned recently. Once again Rey wondered how truthful Leia was with her. The hall led them into an open space with a grand staircase, other hallways leading to the opposite directions. They could either go around together or separate to speed the process.

“Guys?” she asked quietly, feeling like loud noises had no place there.

“I take left,” Poe responded quickly.

“I’ll take the second floor if that’s OK,” followed her brother.

“I’m with Finn,” interjected Rose. “The second floor is too big for one.” She smiled shyly as Poe cast them a wistful glance.

“I take right,” Rey decided. “Meet me here in thirty?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

With smiles and giggles they went their separate ways.

The Naberries obviously had never had money issues. The rooms were locked, but even the corridors were decorated with old expensive-looking furniture and knick-knacks. Soon the decorations become plainer, indicating that she reached what used to be a servants’ side. The house seemed calm and empty which was a bit unsettling. As her flashlight cast weird shadows Rey thought she probably should have gone with Poe and BB. It would be less creepy and lonely. A floorboard squeaked under her shoe. And right then she heard a noise.

She paused. It wasn’t just her imagination. There definitely were noises and they didn’t come from mice. Shivers crept down her spine. On her tiptoes she followed the sounds to their source which turned out to be the kitchen. Light came from the half-closed door. Someone was there. Someone very much corporeal judging from the sound. Was it a burglar? It made sense, the house was chock-full of expensive stuff. The wise course of action was to get back to her friends and call the police. Unfortunately, Rey had never been one to play by the rules. She peeked inside and froze. A massive, giant man dressed in black was standing with his back to her. And he was wielding a knife. Rey gasped.

The man abruptly turned to her. In his haste he knocked down one of the pans and something red spilled all over the floor. Rey screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A grumpy not-quite-ghostly tenant of Varykino meets a gang of pesky kids. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big shout-out to my beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

Ben Solo had always been a man of simple needs. To exist happily he only required such ordinary things as peace and quiet. It wasn't too much to ask, right?

Wrong. His noisy neighbors, nosy colleagues, insufferable students, and meddling busybody of a mother just couldn't help themselves but to mess with him. Ben usually handled it just fine, picking up a couple of tricks here and there. But to be productive he needed a calm environment, lest his creative juices stop flowing. And God, he needed them.

A good boy, Ben Solo, the youngest tenured astronomy professor in his university, had a deep dark secret - he was also moonlighting as a sci-fi writer. If his family or colleagues knew the truth... No, he would rather not think of that. His mother had barely forgiven his decision not to follow Luke's footsteps in mathematics and the other professors would laugh their asses off finding out that he wrote a successful cosmo-opera. There was a reason he used Kylo Ren as his alias. 

The problem was that his editor was hounding him for the next manuscript draft while his boss pressed him to finish that paper on binary stars and Ben had only two hands, one head, and 24 hours in a day. The solution was simple - a little vacation to finish what he started. 

Easier said than done. He knew exactly what Leia would be up to – setting him up on a blind date with a daughter of this friend or a niece of that or dragging him to one of her charity functions. _No, not gonna happen_. Maybe Ben couldn’t disappear from the face of earth, but he very well could hide himself in his ancestral house for a week or two and nobody would be the wiser. Or that’s what he thought. Life had this terrible tendency to prove him wrong.

After several hours of productive work, Ben realized that his stomach wouldn’t tolerate being ignored any longer. He stretched his neck with a satisfying pop and padded to the kitchen. It was a bit annoying that the study was basically on the other side of the building but beggars couldn’t be choosers. As he poured tomato soup into a pan Ben wondered why they didn’t have a microwave. Varykino had a shoe-polishing machine, but apparently not a standard kitchen appliance. Though he should probably be thankful that the house had plumbing and electricity.

With a huff he grabbed a knife to make himself a sandwich, but suddenly he heard someone’s sharp intake of breath. In an empty house? Ben turned abruptly only to see through the half-opened door a woman eerily resembling his late grandmother. He had never believed in the stupid rumors but that very moment had him reconsidering. Ben stumbled back, accidentally knocking the soup from the stove. The red liquid splashed all over the floor. The woman screamed. He screamed.

As her shrill cries pierced his ears Ben realized that she was not a ghost (despite sounding like a veritable banshee), but rather a live woman who had somehow appeared here, in a house where _he_ was supposed to be the only occupant.

“Who the fuck are you?” he finally got a grip on himself.

“_Me?! _Who the fuck are _you_?” She glared at him like a cornered wild animal.

Ben stared at her with wide eyes. The woman tried to sound confident, but she was clearly terrified. What was she doing there? Since his mom still hadn’t hired anyone to look after Varykino, she was no employee, was she? A thief? Fuck, he had _told_ Leia to install a security alarm, hadn’t he? 

“I’m going to call the police,” Ben informed her as calmly as he could. “Please, leave.”

“Fat chance,” snorted the girl. “_I’m_ going to call the police. And don’t you dare move!”

“_You_ are going to call the police? A thief?” he stared at her incredulously. She had the audacity to order him around in his own house!

“I work here!”

“No, you don’t!”

“Yes, I do!” The girl glared at him with burning passion.

“Listen here, Sweetheart…”

“Rey, are you OK?” someone yelled behind her.

“Over here!” she yelled back. “Call the police!”

In mere seconds, the door was yanked wide open and two men and a woman flanked the wannabe thief. They gaped at the scene in the kitchen and Ben wondered how he’d managed to end up with not one, but four belligerent perpetrators. Scratch that, four perpetrators and _a dog_. Fuck his life.

“Don’t move! We don’t want to hurt you,” warned the curly man in front. He looked like he _wanted _to pick a fight and Ben huffed at the thought. He was sure he could take him down with his bare hands.

“There’s blood on the floor,” whispered a petite Asian girl, her hand gripping something resembling a taser.

Belatedly, Ben realized that she was referring to his dinner.

“Oh for God’s sake!” he groaned as the group simultaneously took a step back and the dog jumped forward to sniff and lick the soup splash.

“BB, no!” yelped the curly man, darting after the canine, while his dark-skinned friend cautiously moved inside, tested the closest stain with a finger, and sniffed.

“Guys, it’s tomato,” he announced to his horrified friends.

“Of course it is!” Ben snapped. “Now who the fuck are you?”

“We work here!” retaliated the curly man. “And we are calling the police!”

_Seriously?_

“Please, do. I’m the owner,” he goaded them. His thief glared at him.

“The fuck you are! I _know _the owner, her name is Leia Organa!”

And here Ben thought this day couldn’t get any worse.

“I take it you’ve met my mother?” he gave out a long-suffering sigh. Four jaws simultaneously hit the floor.

“Your _whom_?!”

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose thinking that he had either gone crazy or needed to check his ears.

“You are _what_?”

“Ghostbusters,” nonchalantly repeated his not-thief, Rey. She looked unfairly pretty for someone bat-shit crazy.

“You are kidding, right? This is a prank.”

“No prank, dude,” amicably supplied the curly troubleseeker, Poe, “we do bust ghosts.”

“What he actually means is that we prove that ghosts are not real,” explained Rey.

“Of course they aren’t. Does my mom pay you for being Captain Obvious?”

“Mrs. Organa hired us to check this house,” the short Asian girl, Rose, calmly informed him. Ben kept an eye on her; in his experience the quiet ones were usually the worst. “And that’s exactly what we are going to do.”

“No, you aren’t. I’ve been here for a couple of days and let me tell you, there are no ghosts here,” he snapped.

“Yes, we are,” Rey narrowed her eyes. “We always fulfill our end of the deal.”

“Seriously, Sweetheart? And how are you going to do it with Varykino occupied?” Ben taunted as the woman’s (admittedly gorgeous) eyes filled with fury.

“Hey, hey, buddy, this is a huge-ass house, there is enough room for everyone,” the other guy, Finn, tried to diffuse the tension. He also kept Rey from jumping from her seat and for some reason his hands on her just irked Ben.

“By the way, what are _you_ doing here? Leia said that the house was empty,” she asked pointedly.

“Working,” he shot back curtly.

“Oh? And what do you do?”

“Write a publication for an astronomy journal, if you are that interested.” Ben hoped she didn’t notice the tiniest pause. He couldn’t slip, not like this. His secret identity was going to remain secret. And obviously he couldn’t let these pesky kids roam all over the premises.

“Cool, man,” nodded Poe.

“And what are _you_ going to do? Reenact a Scooby gang?” Ben scowled.

His uninvited guests smirked.

“Just so you know, we have a system,” Rey informed him.

“A very efficient one,” piped in Rose.

“At least no one has complained yet,” muttered Finn.

“You are in safe hands, man,” grinned Poe, making Ben grind his teeth. That was the last place he wanted to be.

“Can you tell me what exactly you do?”

“Sure, man. We check the house, find the issue and the mystery is solved. Phew!” his smirk and laid-back attitude were also grating on nerves.

“What Poe means,” huffed Finn, “is that we investigate and determine the type of your problem.”

“I don’t have a problem. And is there more than one?” Ben asked, dumbfounded. _Where did Leia find them?_

“Obviously. Supernatural, natural, and unnatural,” smirked Rey.

“There is a difference?” Could this day become any weirder?

The Scooby gang exchanged glances. “Oh my sweet summer child, you have so much to learn,” drawled Poe with a grin and Ben realized it would be a real miracle if he didn’t kick the man by the end of the evening.

“Natural things are just natural,” stated Rose matter-of-factly. “Optic illusions, construction mistakes, stuff like that. Unnatural problems include all kinds of pranks and hoaxes. Supernatural is self-explanatory.”

“We simply find what’s wrong with the building and how to fix it,” added Finn. “Rey here has a degree in Civil Engineering and Rose is good at technical stuff. Me and Poe are just good at finding things.”

For some reason Ben’s brain switched _things_ for _troubles_. Sounded about right. “And the critter?” he nodded toward the happily wiggling dog.

“Hey, BB is the best wingwoman in existence!” glared Poe scratching the beast’s head.

“She is our token,” huffed Rey. Ben was still stuck on the ‘wingwoman’. Suddenly he had a sickening feeling that he knew exactly what’s going on.

“Shit!” he groaned.

“What now?” snapped Rey. “You hate dogs?”

Ben ignored her rubbing his temple in annoyance. “Oh my God, Mother,” he muttered. It wasn’t the first time Leia Organa was responsible for his headache.

“Hey, buddy, you’re scaring us,” prodded Finn.

Ben glared at him.

“Don’t you see it? You have been set up. Or rather, I was set up,” he muttered to himself. This time his mother had indeed gone above and beyond.

“Are you drunk?” questioned Rose. “Rey, you didn’t hit his head, did you?”

“She didn’t,” Ben sighed as the woman in question opened her mouth indignantly. “That’s what my mom does.”

“Hits your head?!” Four pairs of wide eyes stared at him.

“Well, that explains quite a bit,” muttered Rey.

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “No, she plays matchmaker. That’s what she does.”

“Buddy, I don’t want to upset you, but you are delirious,” calmly stated Poe.

“You don’t understand,” Ben sighed tiredly, “Leia does this all the time. To get me stranded with four attractive people – that’s just up her valley. Fucking grandkids,” he muttered again.

“Wait, what?” gaped both Finn and Rey. “_Attractive_?”

“Are you crazy?” frowned Rose at the same time as Poe asked, “Are you poli?”

Ben rolled his eyes, annoyed at the kids’ line of thinking. “No and no on both accounts.” He stared at their confused and incredulous faces. “Bloody hell.”

“I think you’re wrong,” stated Rey, narrowing her eyes at him. “That’s _not _why we are here. We have other things to do than to romance you for a whole week,” she scoffed.

Ben wanted to snap back until his brain focused on a crucial piece of information. “Wait, a _week_?”

“Yes,” the girl responded curtly.

His blood froze. A day would throw a wrench in his plans, but a whole week where these nosy kids would search the whole house top to bottom.… How was he going to finish his writing? Even worse – what if any of them figured out that he was Kylo Ren? They needed to leave as soon as possible.

“No, nope, just no. Not happening,” Ben protested vehemently.

“Yes,” Rey snapped. “And I’m calling your mother.”

Ben gaped at her. If his mother came here and figured out what he was up to… Shit, shit, shit! “Whatever,” he said as nonchalantly as he could. “You have one day. Do whatever you want and get out of here.”

“Rude, buddy!” Poe glared at him.

“I’m not your buddy,” Ben retorted automatically. “Want to stay here? Help yourself. Do whatever you want, but don’t bother me, and leave before Sunday.”

“Are you always such a prick?” demanded Rey.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he snarked, desperately hoping he was being off-putting enough. “Guest bedrooms are on the second floor. Good night.” With that Ben stormed off, cursing his crazy family, ghosts, and the whole predicament.

It was dark outside. Rey could see her breath puff in small white clouds in the cold and crisp air. The balcony she was standing on was gorgeous. Everything about Varykino was, but the sheer size of it matched with the view made her think about a little spring wedding. This place would fit perfectly for that purpose.

“Enjoying the view?” a strange voice suddenly asked. Rey jumped with a start. There, leaning on the banister, stood a young dark-haired woman she hadn’t noticed before.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you. You work here?”

The woman cocked her head. There was something oddly familiar about her, but Rey couldn’t exactly put her finger on it.

“You might as well say that,” was her vague reply. Odd. What else had Leia conveniently forgot to mention?

“I’m Rey,” she offered.

The woman smiled. “I know.” There was a long pause.

“And you are?”

“That’s not important, what _is_ is that you are here,” the weird woman answered elusively. Rey didn’t even suppress her eye-roll. Was everyone here on a mission to get under her skin?

“OK, lady, enough with this cryptic shit. What’s going on?” she snapped.

The other woman’s eyes lit up. “I _love_ your fire, you’ll do well,” she said with satisfaction.

Rey ground her teeth.

“Oh, no, no, no! Don’t you dare do this. Who the hell are you? What are you talking about? What’s wrong with this place?” 

“Sometimes the past casts long shadows,” cryptically announced the crazy lady before smiling. “Don’t worry, you have everything you need. These are your first steps.”

“Need for what? Steps to where?” Rey howled in frustration.

“You’ll see in time. Now keep an eye on Ben for me, please? The boy could use a voice of reason in his life.”

“Excuse me?!” Rey was this close to tearing her hair out. _She_ could use a voice of reason right now, thank you very much.

The woman didn’t seem to be affected in the slightest by her outburst. “Isn’t the sunrise beautiful today?” she sighed.

For a second Rey’s head turned to the horizon and when she turned back, the balcony was empty.

Rey woke up with a start. She’d had the weirdest dream, but as much as she tried she couldn’t remember it. Maybe the stress of the previous evening had finally gotten to her. The owner's moody son did give her quite a scare. And then he was so rude. What a shame; he was cute. Well, Rey has been told more than once that her tastes in men were unconventional, but this was one step too far. Not only was Ben a prickly asshole, not only was he a client’s son, he also had something to hide. She noticed his weird pauses yesterday and she could sniff out a lie like a bloodhound. Heaven knew what exactly it was, but Ben definitely wanted them gone because he didn’t want them to find out.

Rey wondered idly what it was. Was he having an illicit affair? He didn’t wear a ring, but who knew? And there was that ridiculous tale of his matchmaking mother. Was he hiding from the law? Smuggling things? Filming porn? What exactly could make a grown-up man hide in an allegedly haunted house? Surely not a scientific article.

Rey yawned but soon realized she wouldn’t fall asleep again. Her phone showed 07:12, so she reluctantly got out of the comfy bed to investigate (and to find breakfast). She vaguely remembered the way to the kitchen (no surprise after yesterday), but halfway there, she was distracted by the heavenly smell of coffee. Following it, she found herself in a big well-lit office (study?) where the man who bothered her so much, was sitting behind a table with his nose buried in a laptop. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on a pot of fresh coffee temptingly adorning the table.

“Hi,” she greeted. Ben jumped with a start, his face going from shock to panic to resignation to a weak smile. _Hmm, interesting_.

“Good morning,” he replied, slamming his laptop shut. “Slept well?”

“Yes,” _no thanks to you_, “the bed was very comfortable.” 

“I bet,” he snorted quietly.

“What are you doing?” Rey asked innocently as Ben slightly paled. 

“Working.”

“Hmm.” She inched closer making him press himself deeper into the seat. Was he nervous? "Are you always so serious?"

"Yes," he deadpanned.

"You know what they say about all work and no play?" Rey quipped, looking around the study. The walls were painted in a beautiful shade of sage green which went well with gorgeous vintage brown furniture. There was a large photo of an oddly familiar beautiful dark-haired woman that made her pause. Belatedly she realized that was Padme, the hypothetical ghost.

"Do you have nothing else to do other than pick on me?" snarkily questioned Ben. He seemed more relaxed when Rey wasn't looking at him. In which case she needed to fix that ASAP.

"Would it kill you to be friendlier?" she asked, turning abruptly.

"Yes," he stated flatly.

Rey rolled her eyes. "God, this family is so dramatic." She moved closer to the table that stood both between her and the insufferable man and the coveted coffee pot. Ben immediately tensed.

"What are you doing?" 

"Trying to figure you out," she replied with a grin, enjoying him squirming.

"Why?"

She licked her lips slowly. His eyes followed her movements as if glued. _So that's how it is?_ "You have something to hide," Rey smirked.

Ben paled, startled. "I do not," he hastily protested. 

"You don't?" she lifted her brow in disbelief, wedging herself between his chair and the table. Ben looked at her like a rabbit at a snake.

"Ah, you do. What is it? Is it something embarrassing?" She enjoyed him swallowing hard. "Something you have to keep from getting out? Something to do with me?" She leaned closer, accidentally knocking the paperwork he’d accumulated on the table.

"No, don't!" Ben yelped. It was too late. Under a couple of scientific journals there were a bunch of handwritten notes that looked decidedly _not_ related to academia.

Rey spotted familiar names and her eyes widened.

"Are you writing Celestial Battles fanfiction?" she asked incredulously.

"No!" Ben protested fervently, jumping out of his seat to grab the papers.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of," she informed him. "Though most people edit it on their computer, not by hand. That's..." Her hands stilled as she saw the heavily edited outline of the novel. Something in her head clicked. "Ben, it's not fanfiction, is it?"

"Please, don't!" He looked genuinely in pain.

Rey's jaw dropped.

"Oh my God! You are Kylo Ren! Finn will _die_ when he hears it!" Her brother would probably propose on spot to his favorite writer.

"Please, I beg you, don't tell him!" Ben pleaded frantically, his face white.

"Why not? He is probably your biggest fan," Rey pointed out. It fell on deaf ears.

"You can't tell anyone," he protested.

She stared at him, befuddled. Given, Kylo Ren's secret identity helped with sales, but it wasn't like _top secret_ or something. Why the man in front of her was so terrified she had no idea.

"And why is that? Give me one good reason," Rey pushed him. It was cruel, she knew, but he wasn't nice to her either yesterday.

"It will ruin my career," Ben insisted. "My scientific career," he added, seeing her confusion.

Rey stared at him. "Those are just books, what harm could they do?"

"Please, I'll do anything!" Who knew that this rude man could ask nicely?

"Anything?" she considered. This was _so_ wrong, but having power over him did things to her. Having this huge stubborn man following her every whim... Rey grinned. "Hmmm, I want a whole week for my team here."

"Done," Ben nodded eagerly. 

"And you will play nicely."

"I'll try."

"And," she smirked at his pained expression, "you sign your next book for Finn." Her brother would be ecstatic.

"And how are you going to explain it without telling him who Kylo Ren is?" Ben pointed out defensively.

She scoffed.

"I'll come up with something, don't worry." And she would be the sister of the year.

"Easier said than done," Ben muttered, looking like a shipwreck survivor. Well, he'd have to roll with it.

"Trust me, your secret is safe with me," Rey sing-songed. "As long as you are _nice_. Now tell me, how can I get a good cup of coffee?"

  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben tries to figure out how to coexist with those pesky kids. The gang jumps into a full investigation. Several new characters make an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to my lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley. Any possible mistakes are my own.

Ben couldn’t wrap his head around how he’d gotten himself into this situation. One moment he was quietly minding his own business, the next his career and whole life ended up suspended because of a little minx his mother sent to either bust his grandmother’s ghost or to sweep him off his feet, heaven knows which is worse. Oh, Leia would like this, she _lived_ for this shit. 

Now he, like the pure idiot he was, was making eggs for Rey and her merry Scooby gang while the minx herself nursed her coffee and watched. And not just watched - there was something predatory in her gaze and not related to the whole blackmail thing. Yes, Ben was aware that his shirt was a bit tight, but he didn't expect it to affect Rey in any way. Perhaps his suspicions about Leia's devious matchmaking plans were not so far off. Well, in that case, payback was long overdue. He should at least put on a good show and flex a little just to make her flustered.

It didn’t go as well as Ben expected. Sure, she was ogling him with mouth agape, but apparently so were her pesky friends who finally deigned to grace them with their presence.

“Rey, what’s going on?” carefully asked the short one, Rose.

“We are making breakfast. Well, Ben is,” Rey amended, trying to look nonplussed. _Good luck with that, Sweetheart._

“He is?” Finn asked dubiously.

“He is much more pleasant when he is properly caffeinated,” the minx supplied with a wink. Ben rolled his eyes. 

“If you say so,” her friend muttered.

“So, we are checking the house today, right?” asked Poe, scratching his happy little beast. The dog wiggled her tail excitedly.

Ben envied her – she didn’t need copious amounts of coffee to tolerate her owner.

“That was the plan,” answered Rey. “Want to join us?”

It took Ben a moment to realize she was asking him. He barely suppressed a snort. To rummage through his ancestral home chasing wild goose with a bunch of pesky kids? _No, nope_. “No, thanks, I have work to do.”

“Suit yourself,” grinned Poe. Rey, for some reason, looked almost disappointed.

“Maybe you could suggest the most haunted spots, mm?” she asked with wide hazel eyes.

Ben was no fool though to play into her hand. “I told you, Varykino is not haunted.”

“I mean, creepy basements, attics, etc.”

He frowned. “The basement is not creepy, it’s empty. The attic… Well, let’s say it’s worse than a flea market,” he sighed. His mother really needed to learn to let things go. _Especially_ old, dusty, outdated things.

“We _need_ to investigate it,” exclaimed Finn with fire in his eyes.

“Be my guest,” Ben muttered.

“You sure you won’t join us?” Rey asked again, voice tinged with disappointment.

Why was she so fixed on roping him into it?

“I told you, I have work to do,” Ben responded firmly before fleeing the kitchen. Again.

As soon as Ben left, Poe and Rose basically pounced at her.

“Rey, Rey, Rey, my little vixen, do you have anything to share with class?” the curly-haired man sing-songed.

“Excuse me?” Rey pretended to not understand him. She was still bitter that they’d interrupted her admiring Ben's back. For a professor _and _a writer, the man was terribly fit. Besides, she thought they had finally connected, but apparently not judging from the speed he disappeared.

“Our little Benny boy is wrapped around your little finger, no?” chirped Rose.

Unfortunately, not really. _Not that she would mind._

“I told you, he is more agreeable after coffee,” Rey said nonchalantly.

“Uh-huh, that’s exactly what it was,” snorted Finn. The traitor! “I don’t blame you, he is hot.”

Rey glared at her brother. “You are kidding.”

“We have eyes, you know?” chuckled Poe.

“I do, too,” she said in a dangerous voice. “Care to share who gave you that mark on your neck?”

The man blanched, raising a hand to cover it. “What? This?” he laughed awkwardly. “It’s a mosquito bite.” He glanced pleadingly at his friends who _both_ looked uncharacteristically smug. Hmm, interesting.

"Sure," Rey snorted, "Next time say hi to your mosquito from me." 

"OK, the basement is officially clear. The first floor is clear. The second floor is clear." Rose checked the blueprints again. Rey didn't really listen to her, contemplating the little observations she had made. Poe had marks on his neck. Rose's lips were kiss-swollen. Finn had a particularly dreamy look on his face. Was it possible that her friends resolved their predicament in a _very_ unorthodox way?

"Except for Mr. Grumpypants’s office," commented Poe.

"Yeah, that."

"So, who has the keys to the attic?" Finn asked excitedly, unable to calm down ever since the mention of ‘flea market’. Her brother was a terrible, terrible hoarder. When the key was found and the door opened he was the first to get in and whistle over the heaps of furniture, knick-knacks, and whatnot stored there. “Wow! It’s like in all those movies. You know, when a group of teens get into an attic and find the Book of Shadows or set free a demon.”

Rey side-eyed him. “Finn, you really need to cut down on TV.” She was totally unable to share his excitement over old dusty things. And the place _was_ dusty. Enough to see that no one had actually been there for quite some time.

“OK, OK, we can just find long-lost love letters and figure out a century-old mystery,” conceded her brother.

“I stand by what I said.”

Further inspection showed that the attic was chock-full of things the Organa-Skywalkers didn’t need anymore but couldn’t bear to part with. Old furniture, old books, old household appliances, old clothes. They were really lucky if they didn’t have mice. The place could profit from a good thorough cleaning. Rey absentmindedly ran her hand over a dusty shelf, turned around an old wardrobe, and yelped when unexpectedly faced with a heavily covered person.

“Rey, you OK?” her friends rushed to her side. When the initial fright left her she realized that the thing lacked head and limbs and wasn’t actually a person.

“Yeah, it’s just a dressform,” Rey called back, laughing at herself for being so silly. The rest of the gang joined her with curiosity.

“We must see what’s underneath,” Finn voiced her secret desire.

Poe tugged off the protective cover and they gasped as the most beautiful wedding dress was revealed. It was a lovely cream shade (perhaps yellowed with age), with a high neckline and beautiful sheer lace overlay. It didn’t have a train, ending at tea-length instead. A gorgeous, heavily beaded veil rested on the top of the dressform.

“It’s so…” murmured Rose.

“Beautiful,” breathed out Rey. She had never been a girly girl with pretty princess dresses, but this – this she would wear in a heartbeat.

“You think it’s _hers_?” asked Poe, meaning Padme.

“No idea,” responded Rose, caressing the veil with an awed expression.

“A true vintage dress like that? It could even be _her_ mother’s,” interjected Finn, equally enamored with the lace.

“Finn?” Rey stared at her brother, baffled.

“Look at those darts, at the cut,” he pointed out. The girls shared a puzzled look. “It even has _gussets_!” he exclaimed, lifting the sleeves. “A silk beauty like this… Do you think the pearls are _real_?”

Rey snorted at the idea that she could tell the difference. “Why do I find it disturbing that you know more about women’s clothes than I do?”

“Seconded,” quipped Rose.

Finn rubbed his neck abashedly.

“Um, remember that cute boy I was into in high school? He was in drama club so I tried to join too. It didn’t work out, but I stuck around and there was this cute girl in the costuming department, she was into historical reconstruction, so…” he trailed off.

Poe and Rose stared meaningfully at each other. Rey sighed.

“And why is your love life ten times more interesting than mine?”

“And here I thought you had fun with Benny boy,” her brother teased her.

“Oh, hush,” she responded, elbowing him lightly. Her friends snickered.

“Ben, do you have a minute?” Rey asked politely. Considering that she had loudly barged into his office just a second ago, it was unnecessary.

“What is it?” he asked, trying not to sound annoyed. He had made significant progress with his next novel, introducing a new character, a stubborn cunning scavenger with pretty hazel eyes and freckles. And if it happened to remind him of a certain person who just couldn’t leave him alone.… Well, artistic license and all of that.

“We’ve finished checking the house and…,” she trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable.

“No ghosts?” Ben joked.

“Nope,” she grinned, marginally relaxing. “So I was wondering if you would like to go into the town with us?”

Ben frowned. “You need something?”

“Um, witness statements?” Rey fidgeted a little. “You know, to gather some local gossip, hear what people say. Maybe a bit of grocery shopping.”

He considered her words. “You need to go to Takodana. That’s a local pub. The owner, Maz, knows everyone and everything, though I must warn you that she is a bit out there.”

“Out there how?” Rey asked, puzzled.

Oh, she had no idea what she was getting herself into.

“Loony like a loon, batshit crazy, that’s how,” Ben smirked at her shocked face. It was an exaggeration, yes, but not _too_ much.

“Oh, OK, I guess that works too. You are coming, right?” she looked hopefully at him. Ben was completely baffled again as to why she wanted him with her merry Scooby gang but he just couldn’t say no to those puppy dog eyes. Besides, he needed to gather more material for his new character, so....

“Right,” he sighed defeatedly.

Rey beamed.

She was going to kill her friends in cold blood, she was sure. Rey had her suspicions when she had glanced at their smug faces and Rose confirmed them immediately. “Ben, why don’t you give Rey a ride?” the girl asked sweetly. “We’ll follow you in Poe’s car.”

“Why would he do that?” snapped Rey as Ben stared at them like a deer in headlights.

“So that you could ask him more about the locals, silly,” Rose innocently batted her lashes.

“And you?” Rey asked suspiciously.

“Don’t worry about us, we’ll be just fine,” waved off Poe, who looked particularly smug.

“Fine,” she deadpanned.

“See, Ben, she said fine,” grinned Finn and off they went on their merry way. Rey sighed.

“Sorry for my friends, they are idiots.”

“Frankly, I would rather deal with you than any of them,” he muttered.

“You are _so_ kind,” she rolled her eyes. “So, this Maz?”

“I’ve known her since forever; she is odd but makes the best cinnamon buns in the whole world,” Ben said in wistful tone.

“Good to know.” Rey did love her food.

“And pork pies, and sandwiches, and basically everything,” he continued, clearly taking a trip down memory lane. “When I was seven…”

Rey almost dozed in the car as Ben reminisced about his childhood. He had such a nice voice, deep and rich like honey or chocolate. He also had a good knowledge of shortcuts as they got to Theed much faster than Poe had driven them to Varykino. The first word she had in mind when she saw the town was quaint. It belonged in children’s books illustrations it was so cute. Takodana was an equally lovely old building with a castle on its sign. Rey enthusiastically jumped out of the car, Ben lingering behind.

“You aren’t coming in?” she asked with a frown.

“I would rather not,” he replied looking uncomfortable.

“Oh, don’t be a coward,” Rey jabbed, boldly going inside. Men hated being called that. She grinned to herself when he followed her, just like she predicted.

Inside Takodana looked like a typical rural pub, except that it was run by the tiniest woman Rey had ever seen. Upon their entering, the lady adjusted the giant glasses on the tip of her nose and grinned happily.

“Ben Solo! You finally grew into your ears, boy. Who is the pretty girl, hmm?”

Poor guy went fifty shades of red. “Hi, Maz, bye, Maz!” And with that he promptly ran back outside, leaving Rey alone with the bartender.

Ben was annoyed with himself. What had possessed him to follow the girl into that wretched pub? Yes, he did know Maz since forever and that was good enough reason to stay away from her. The woman was odd, true, but also whip-smart, nosy, and meddling, just like his mother, and Ben, like any self-respecting Solo man, had a deep seated fear of miniature women with one hell of an attitude. Why on earth he was surrounded by those, he had no clue.

To save himself from further embarrassment he hid himself in a grocery store nearby. It’s difficult to mess up when you are surrounded by canned peas and frozen broccoli. Ben was deeply engrossed in considering the merits of a particular tomato soup brand when someone pointedly cleared their throat behind him.

“Mr. Solo?”

He turned to see an unfamiliar pasty ginger with a pinched expression, sticking out like a sore thumb in his custom-made suit. Ben didn’t like him one bit. “Yes, why?”

“Armitage Hux, Esquire.” The ginger offered his business card. "Do you have a minute?"

"Not really."

"In that case, let's skip the small talk," Hux interjected smoothly. "I’m here to make you an offer."

"I’m not interested," Ben responded curtly.

"Please hear it out." There was nothing _pleading _about his tone. "It has come to my attention that your family residence is… how to say it delicately?" The ginger searched for a word. "Visitated."

"No, it is not," he said curtly.

Hux looked unperturbed.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Either way, it’s not the best place for a young progressive man like you. You belong in a big city, not the quaint countryside."

"So?" Ben was already seriously annoyed.

"So I believe you would be willing to discuss a mutually beneficial agreement of transferring the ownership of Varykino to me." The ginger was so full of himself it was laughable.

"No."

Hux's smile faltered for a second. "Mr. Solo, believe me, the offer is _very_ generous. Let’s just say the sum will cover all your troubles _sufficiently_."

Ben didn't suppress an eye roll. "Mr. Hux, let me be frank. I am a successful professional with a nice payment package. I have a trust fund. My mother inherited not one, but two family fortunes. My father owns a profitable business. Do tell me, how much should I offer _you_ to leave me alone?" He took particular pleasure in the way the ginger's face twisted. "Varykino is not for sale," he clipped before storming off.

Rey watched helplessly as Ben darted out of the pub like a skittish rabbit. Her friends, who arrived just in time to see that, looked at her questioningly. She shrugged. Maz shook her head disapprovingly. 

"That boy, just like his father." She focused her penetrative gaze on Rey. "Come closer, dear child." As the girl leaned over, Maz scrutinized her through her massive lenses. "Yes, these eyes."

"My eyes?" Rey repeated, puzzled.

"When you live as long as I do you seethe same eyes in different people," the woman said cryptically. It seemed that was Naboo's MO.

"Uh, OK?"

"Oh, don’t mind me, sweet girl," Maz patted her cheek lovingly, "You and your friends can go grab a seat."

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"So, what brings you here?" the older woman asked as they settled into a booth.

The group looked at each other.

"The Varykino ghost?" ventured Poe.

"That’s what I thought."

"Do you think it’s Padme Naberrie?" Finn asked her.

"I don’t believe it’s as simple as that. Sometimes the past casts long shadows," Maz said pensively, giving Rey an odd sense of deja vu. "There are ghosts in Varykino, but they are not what you think."

All four of them stared at her, baffled.

"Is that your way to say you don’t believe in rumors?" questioned Rose.

The older woman smiled.

"Perhaps. If you want hearsay, dear, feel free to ask my patrons." 

And so they did. Locals gladly shared their stories, one more nonsensical than another. At some point they decided to separate to gather more data. Finn and Rose went out to check with local vendors, Poe was deeply engrossed in a conversation on the other side of the pub, and Rey took a second to organize her notes. She was roused by the sound of footsteps accompanied by a cane. She lifted her head up and up and up as a very tall, withered old man approached her table.

"Excuse me, Miss, were you inquiring about the Varykino ghost?" 

"I was," Rey cautiously replied. The man offered her a friendly smile which would work better on a face less covered in blemishes and spots.

"I think I can help you."

"You can?" He was certainly not the first person to say that.

The man nodded seriously. "You see, local lore is my guilty pleasure. Besides, I was around when the tragedy happened." 

"Really?" Rey perked up. No one had offered a real witness statement yet.

"I grew up here. My uncle worked with Mr. Skywalker," the man explained.

"You knew them?" she asked with growing excitement. So far that sounded like a jackpot.

"Yes, but I was just a child back then." His eyes acquired a faraway look. "Only later did I fully realized what happened."

"What happened?" asked Rey. The man sighed heavily.

"Mr. Skywalker was deeply in love with his wife. _Madly_. He was incredibly jealous." He shook his head disapprovingly.

"Oh?"

"And his wife was a very independent, strong-willed woman who’d have none of it. They fought all the time. Things calmed down a bit with her pregnancy, until Mr. Skywalker caught rumors of her infidelity." That was certainly new information. "And with his best friend, no less." 

"Was she? Unfaithful?" she asked. The man shrugged.

"I don’t know. Her husband certainly thought so." He lowered his voice. "In his rage he attacked her and strangled her to death. Then guilt and grief overpowered him and he shot himself." The man shook his head sadly. "Such a terrible tragedy. The authorities tried to hush it, but _we_ – we remember."

"That’s horrible," Rey breathed out.

"It is," agreed the man. "No wonder that their tormented souls still haunt the house."

"You believe in ghosts?"

"I do. As a matter of fact, I’m part of a local paranormal research society," he informed her, proudly passing her a leaflet.

Rey took a cursory glance at it before putting it in her pocket.

"Interesting, Mr… sorry, I didn’t catch your name."

The man smiled. "Snoke, my dear, James Snoke."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are there ghosts at Varykino? Depends on who you are asking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to fulcrum_of_pemberley, who somehow makes my writing make sense.

The gang gathered in Poe’s van comparing the statements they got from locals, none of them ready to make the trip back to Varykino yet. Theed was a charming little town, too bad they were on duty.

"Therefore, according to the survey, the vast majority believe that the Varykino ghosts are real," recited Rose in her best teacher voice. "57% think it’s Padme, 7% are set on Anakin, 33% believe it’s both, and another 7% named various eldritch horrors." She rolled her eyes at Poe's snickering. “57% believe that Anakin strangled his wife, 46% insist he pushed her down the stairs, and 4% remain undecided. 54% think that he killed himself afterwards, 46% don’t, and 0% are actual reliable witnesses. _What?_ I can use my calculator, unlike you heathens," the girl said pointedly at Finn's overwhelmed face.

"I disagree," Rey broke in indignantly. "My source…"

"Was a child. Not _reliable_." The girls stared at each other stubbornly.

"So we are back to square one,” Poe defused the tension. BB whined pitifully as if understanding his master’s words.

"Seems so," agreed Finn. "It’s odd that Leia didn’t explain the circumstances of her mother’s death."

Rey shrugged. "You know how it is with personal things."

Her brother nodded in agreement.

"Guys, do you think we have time to check on those contractors?" interjected Poe, checking his phone. "What was their name again?" 

Rose consulted her notes. "Plutt’s Construction- it’s in Niima Outpost, almost to Jakku."

They all winced. Jakku was the middle of nowhere.

"Think I can break a speed limit or two?" Poe grinned devilishly. No one exactly approved of his driving style but they weren't going to argue with its efficiency. 

The office of Plutt’s Construction looked shabbier than one would expect from a company specializing in refurbishment and repair. It seemed Leia had picked them only because there hadn't been other options available. The receptionist was nowhere in sight and the only person in the office was an overweight middle-age man with a receding hairline perusing a sports journal. 

"Good afternoon!" Rey greeted cheerfully. "Mr. Plutt?"

"I’m busy," the man snapped without lifting his eyes. 

"We hoped you could spare us a moment."

"We are closed," Plutt answered in a bored tone. Rey looked helplessly at her team.

Poe winked. "How about a little remuneration for your trouble?" It was definitely a misuse of Leia's money, but at least it did the trick.

"Hmm." The man considered them. "I think I can fit you in."

How on earth was he profitable with such an attitude was a question.

The team grinned. "Mr. Plutt, we have a couple of questions."

"You are not the police, are you?" he asked suspiciously.

Rey frowned. "No, of course not, we’re just private investigators."

"My crew are not thieves," Plutt informed her with narrowed eyes.

Suddenly they all had a suspicion of _what_ kind of work this particular crew was doing.

"We don’t doubt that,” Poe assured him with all of his acting skills. "We actually have questions about Varykino."

Blood seemed to drain from man’s face. "That place is fucking cursed. Just leave it be."

The team shared a look.

"Cursed _how_?" tentatively asked Rose.

"Are you dumb?" Plutt sneered. "_Cursed_. Bad shit happens there."

"Bad shit – like ghosts?"

"Fuck if I know," the man muttered, more to himself than to them, frowning at unpleasant memories. "There was _something _in there, something that watches you all the time. That place gives you the creeps."

"Really?" Finn looked as puzzled as everyone else. The house was old, yes, but creepy?

"Things there moved when no one was watching," Plutt lowered his voice. "Just disappeared from one place and appeared in another."

"What kind of things?" Rey asked innocently.

"Just things," the man snapped, remembering himself. "Things that have _no business to move on their own_. And when the fucking ghost pushed me down the fucking stairs we fucking quit. I tell you what, that fancy chick didn’t pay us enough for that shit!" he waved his finger belligerently.

"Are you sure you were _pushed_?"

"Are you doubting me?" Plutt glared at them. "I remember that moment as clear as day. My whole crew saw it."

"Would you mind if we talk with them, too?" Poe asked.

The older man turned his palm up in an obvious gesture.

"Whatever," he muttered as crisp bills were transferred to his greedy hands.

The workshop turned out to be right behind the office. Plutt lazily waved his hand in that direction and returned back to his journal. The team shrugged and split around the premises. Rey’s eyes zeroed in on a lonely figure lazily pretending to organize tools. Clearly, productivity and efficiency were not the motto of this company.

“Hello! I’m Rey. Do you have a moment?” she chirped.

The worker, a disheveled young man, turned to her, slowly checked her out, and grinned.

“For such a pretty thing as you? Sure,” he drawled out.

His whole demeanor made her uncomfortable, but this girl was no quitter. “Your boss said you saw what happened at the Varykino mansion.”

The man leaned closer, his breath smelling of booze. “And what if I did?”

“Sir, I’d like to take your witness statement,” Rey said coldly, maintaining her distance. He followed her, crowding her against the wall.

“I think we can come to an agreement,” the man leered, raising his hand to caress her cheek.

Her self-defense training immediately kicking in, Rey grabbed his thumb and twisted it at an unnatural angle, making him howl in pain.

“Touch me again and I break it,” she warned slowly as he hissed.

“Teedo!” boomed a voice from behind them. They both turned toward a furious Plutt.

“Boss, that bitch tried to break my finger!” whined the sad excuse of a man, making Rey regret she didn’t knee him too for good measure.

“A _girl_? You are even more pathetic than I thought,” scoffed Plutt as Teedo scrambled away from her. “Are you done?” the older man glared at her and her worried team. “Get out.”

“Rey, are you OK?” the guys pounced on her the moment they left. She rolled her eyes, still fuming at the whole situation.

“What do you think? I’m fine, unlike that asshole,” Rey snorted. At least her self-defense classes payed off.

Finn and Poe both glared at the building, itching to pick a fight. Sighing, Rose herded them both toward the car.

“I think that’s enough for one day.”

Ben tried to regain his equilibrium after the disastrous trip by jogging around the property, followed by a good cup of tea in his cozy study. Meeting Maz was distressing enough, but the ginger menace… The sheer audacity of him! Cold air outside and fragrant tea did the trick and soon he was able to return to his precious manuscript, pouring his frustration into words. Ben was so engrossed in his work he didn’t even realize that his personal ghostbusters were back. He promptly shut his laptop, taking in their grumpy faces.

“Back again? Any luck?”

Four pairs of eyes (five if you count the dog) side-eyed him.

“Barely,” replied Poe eyeing him carefully. “Ben, what exactly happened to your grandmother?”

The question made him stiffen immediately. “I would rather not talk about it.” Even the mention of those events still pained his mom and uncle.

Poe opened his mouth to argue when, to Ben’s surprise, Rose lightly elbowed him. “The crew thinks the house is haunted,” she chirped lightly.

“They also probably stole a thing or two,” grumbled Rey.

“And definitely overcharged,” added Finn.

Ben sighed at the news. “I knew it. I told her so, but my mom just never listens to me. She always_ knows better_.” He rolled his eyes at the mental image of Leia the Wise.

“Trust me, they all do,” muttered Poe. The whole team looked disheartened enough to give Ben a glimmer of hope.

“So you are done now?” he asked nonchalantly. Maybe now he could work in peace?

“Of course not,” scoffed Rey. “We are going to bring in the big guns.”

_The what? _“Huh?”

“We are inviting a medium, “Finn casually informed him, making Ben gape at him.

“_A what_? You are kidding.”

“Nope.”

He stared at the Scooby gang incredulously. “And pray tell me, where are you going to find one?”

The kids looked puzzled for a second, then Rey fished a crumpled leaflet out of her pocket. She straightened it, allowing him to catch a glimpse of _Paranormal Society _something. “How about this one?” she pointed at the picture of a _‘Madame Netal, Ghost Whisperer.’_

As Ben discovered the very next day, ghost-whispering Madame Netal looked exactly like every single medium from cartoons. Her long billowy dress was accessorized with layers and layers of dangling jewelry, her head was topped with a… a turban? or whatever that thing was. Bold red lips and heavily-rimmed eyes finished the look. Ben didn’t like _Madame_ in the slightest. She, on the other hand, took an immediate liking to him, looking him straight in the eye and licking her crimson lips. Ben shuddered in horror. Half-crazed predatory ladies were not his type. Well, unless they had dimples and freckles.

“Oh, I feel a bad presence in this house,” Madame Netal gasped dramatically, a faraway look in her eyes. “So much dark energy. You made the right call to contact me.”

“Seems so,” muttered Poe dubiously.

It was good to know that at least someone doubted the woman’s magical prowess.

“You!” the medium cried out, zeroing in on Ben. “You are the _heir_. I feel a dark cloud surrounding you; your aura needs cleansing.”

“Somehow I doubt that,” he responded, taking a step back from her, fearing that the lady would proceed with _cleansing_ straight away.

“This place steals your life force, you need something,” she looked at him pointedly, “or _someone_ to protect you.” The medium reached with her red-clawed hand to caress his elbow.

“He is doing just fine,” snapped Rey in annoyance, making Madame Netal scowl.

Never before was Ben more grateful for the little minx.

“So, this presence,” prompted Poe.

The medium quickly remembered herself.

“Yes, the suffering soul and the tormentor. Here!” she pointed at the staircase. “Here it happened.”

“What?”

Madame Netal rolled her eyes back as if entranced, a wild expression on her face. “I see a young woman, she is in pain. Her heart is breaking. She is pleading with her lover. No!” she cried, hiding her face. “That’s terrible.”

“What do you see?” asked Finn with worry.

“He attacks her, squeezes her neck!” The medium rolled her eyes in exaltation. “Life is leaving her. Oh, I can’t watch.” She wailed dramatically like a third-rate actress.

“What?”

“He sees what he has done. The guilt is too much. He shoots himself!” the woman dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Everyone rushed to her side.

“Hey, hey, hey, are you OK?” asked a shocked Poe. Even Ben, despite all his doubts, was a bit worried.

“Water,” she croaked. “Thank you.” Madame Netal took a big gulp, then turned to him. “You are in great danger, the dark presence is waiting to claim you. Leave this place.”

_Here we go again_, he thought darkly. “Not for the next couple of weeks.”

The woman sighed, then promptly got up as if nothing happened. “Well, if you are so sure… Maybe we could meet for a coffee and I’ll help you with protection charms?” she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. Ben’s jaw dropped at the display. She was almost unconscious less than a minute ago!

“I don’t…”

“Protection charms, you say?” interjected Poe. “How exciting. Tell me everything,” he asked, guiding the woman to the door.

“One last thing,” Madame Netal turned back abruptly. “The spirits told me that you have the clue to everything. It’s hidden in plain sight in the spot where you spend most of your time. May the Force be with you.” She made a weird sign with her hands (was that supposed to be a blessing?) and walked away.

Ben gaped at that.

“Was that a Star Wars quote? _Seriously_? You do realize she is a liar?” he pointedly asked the team.

Poe chuckled. “Relax, buddy.”

“Oh, God. Why does my mom pay for this nonsense?”

“Ask her,” snorted Rey, looking much happier without the madwoman present.

“I’m actually curious, that thing she said about the clue, it’s in your office, right?” suddenly asked Finn.

Ben paled. That was where he kept his writing materials.

“Over my dead body.”

“Come on, why is it such a big deal? Are you writing porn or something?” Rose narrowed her eyes at him.

“I.. You.. _What_?!” he squeaked. And here he thought writing young-adult sci-fi was inappropriate. The team stared at him questioningly as he searched for the right answer.

Rey shook her head. “Give me five minutes.” She dragged a stupefied Ben away from her friends. “You are attracting attention,” she hissed.

“I protect my sanity. You promised!”

The girl scoffed. “I did, I’m not telling anyone anything. Just hide your _other _writing, they won’t look through your personal things.” She rolled her eyes at his incredulous expression. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Why do I trust you?” he mumbled reluctantly.

The minx beamed.

Truth to be told, there were not a lot of things to hide. Ben had made a point not to leave anything not astronomy-related in plain sight and he had always kept his workplace neat. Besides, the study was still full of his grandfather’s things and he felt like he was intruding. The Scooby gang, on the other hand, didn’t share the sentiment, rummaging through with single-minded determination.

“For a medium she could be more precise,” grumbled Rose, checking the writing-table for hidden spaces.

“She was a fucking charlatan,” commented Ben from his vantage point near the door.

“We check all leads _thoroughly_,” the girl pointed out.

“Guys? I think I found something,” called Finn, showing a leather-bound notebook he found in the bookcase.

“Is it a diary?” Rey inspected the neat handwriting. The rest joined her.

“Seems so.”

The girl opened a random page and read aloud:

_Dined with the Organas. Wore that orange dress. I think I look like a balloon, but Ani insists I’m an angel_.

“It’s your grandmother’s,” Rey whispered to Ben.

He leaned over her shoulder to take a peek.

_Ani left for a trip with Palpatine. It’s only a couple of hours, but I miss him already._

_The kids kick like crazy. Doctor Kenobi is a bit concerned, but I think I’ll be fine. I asked him not to tell Ani anything, he already worries too much. At least one of them is going to be a runner. We haven’t had an Olympic champion in this family yet._

“Aww, that’s so cute,” smiled Rose.

The rest of the entries were similar – mundane observations of a very besotted, very pregnant woman. Ben didn’t know this side of Padme, Leia rarely even mentioned her. His grandmother’s words brought a smile to his lips. But at some point the tone changed.

_My husband scares me. His jealousy is suffocating, I can’t breathe. I need to get away from him, but will he let me go?_

“Well, that escalated quickly,” commented Poe dryly.

Ben frowned.

_He is mad, I know it. No one believes me. I must leave him, but I’m too scared._

_He knows everything! What can I do?! There is no one here to help me. I promised him ‘till death us do part.’ He’ll hold me to it. Oh God, he is coming!_

The entry ended abruptly. The rest of the pages were empty. The team exchanged worried looks. Ben’s mind was reeling. That wasn’t what had happened here. Who wrote this?

“That’s it?” asked Finn.

“Yes.” Rey was still frantically turning the rest of the pages. Nothing.

“OK, that’s bad, like, really bad.”

“Padme couldn’t have written that,” Ben stated loudly. He knew that whoever did, it wasn’t his grandmother.

“She totally did,” pointed out Rose.

“That’s simply not true.”

“I think I need to call Leia,” interjected Rey before leaving the room.

Ben paid her no attention. “Look, I know that _this_ – it’s not hers.”

Poe condescendingly patted his hand, putting him even more on edge. “Dude, you’re shocked, I get it, but you just saw it too.”

Ben opened his mouth to snap at the annoying man when he heard a yelp from the hall.

“Rey!” He was running toward her before he even realized it.

She was sitting on a stair rubbing her aching leg when Ben descended upon her, her friends hot on his heels.

“Are you OK?” he asked frantically.

Rey tried to smile, but winced instead. “My ankle.” She didn’t expect him to scoop her up in a bridal carry like a freaking damsel in distress. Surprisingly, it felt nice. He gently settled her on a couch, hovering over her like an overgrown mother hen, leaving little room for the others.

“Geez, man, let Rose work, she’s a med student,” jabbed Poe as the Asian girl crouched to inspect Rey’s ankle.

“What happened?” asked Finn, his hands wrapping around hers.

“I fell on the stairs,” she confessed, feeling silly.

Rose’s fingers slowed their exploration. “Like you were _pushed_?”

“Like…” Rey faltered, “like the step broke or something. Or maybe I slipped.”

“Peanut, those stairs are _sturdy_.” Finn looked so worried she had to pat his hand to calm him down.

“You OK?” repeated Ben. She didn’t expect him to be so concerned of her well-being, but she’d be lying to say it didn’t please her.

“I’m fine. Mostly,” the girl amended, wincing at Rose’s prods.

“You will be. It’s not broken, just twisted,” the girl smiled reassuringly.

“Lucky me.”

“You gave us a scare, Peanut,” chastised Finn.

“I’m fine, hon, don’t worry,” she smiled at her brother.

“I can’t _not _worry for you.”

“I’ll bring ice,” announced Ben abruptly.

Rey frowned at his odd exit.

“Mr. Grumpypants is upset,” observed Poe with a wry smile.

“He just likes her,” scoffed Rose.

“He doesn’t,” gasped Rey, appalled.

The three of her friends smiled smugly. “Uh-huh.”

They settled her on a nice comfortable couch on the first floor, her injured leg resting on a pillow. The room (drawing room? salon? That’s what fancy people called them, right?), was nice and cozy, with big windows and a fireplace Ben got going specifically for her comfort. It was pure bliss.

“Do you want to go up to your room?” asked Finn when the big grandfather clock struck ten.

“No, I’d prefer to spend the night here, if that’s OK? The bathroom is closer if you know what I mean.” Her ankle still gave her a bit of trouble and the couch was just too cozy.

“If you are sure,” her brother said reluctantly.

“Just bring me an extra blanket.”

As her friends finally left, Rey buried herself further into her comfy bed, yawning. A knock on the door startled her a bit.

“Ben?” she asked sleepily. He didn’t look like himself in flannel PJs, though still attractive. Why was he cute even in PJs?

“I thought you would appreciate some hot cocoa,” he said, bashfully handing her a cup.

Rey smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you. You know, you can be very sweet when you want to.”

Ben flushed all over. “I, um… Don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t,” she giggled as he settled beside her.

“So, you and Finn?”

“What about us?” Rey asked distractedly.

“You are very close,” he said uncomfortably.

“Observant, aren’t you?” she teased.

“And he is protective.”

“I guess. Sometimes he forgets _he_’s my baby brother.” Rey looked at Ben with worry as he choked on his cocoa.

“He _what_?”

“Wait, you didn’t know?” she looked at him, baffled. “We’re siblings.”

“But you… you are…” the poor guy waved his hand helplessly.

“Adopted,” supplied Rey.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. My family is the best thing that ever happened to me.” She smiled fondly, remembering their first meeting. “Imagine grumpy ten-year old foster kid Rey hopelessly waiting for her parents to return. And then one day this boy with huge innocent eyes just grabs my hand and tugs me along because he wants to play. I hit him- he falls and laughs instead of crying.” She shook her head fondly. “Finn has always been like that.”

“You care about him a lot,” Ben remarked with a soft smile.

“Of course I do, he is my ride or die. If he hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened to me.” Rey shuddered to think how her life could have turned out if not for the Smiths. “Mom couldn’t have more children after her first pregnancy so she and Dad decided to adopt. When they saw their shy son bonding so quickly, it was settled. We did raise some eyebrows – them adopting a white girl,” she chuckled. Luckily, the Smiths cared little for social expectations.

“That’s very sweet.”

For Rey it was so much more than that. “Our parents are wonderful. You know what Mom did when I got a detention for fighting Finn’s bully? She _bought me ice-cream_. They were the family I’d waited for all along.”

Silence fell upon them.

“I’m the only child, luckily or unluckily,” Ben suddenly began. “I’ve always wished for siblings, but then again, the world can handle only so many Solos.”

“What’s wrong with Solos?” she frowned.

He sighed. “We are too much, too loud. In my family you often have to scream to be heard.”

“That’s not my first impression of any of you,” Rey said, puzzled. Sure, Leia and Han had their quirks, but it wasn’t that bad. Although, she hadn’t seen them all together.

“Well, I guess some things have changed,” Ben muttered.

“Does it have anything to do with you hiding here?”

“That, and my mother’s matchmaking inclinations. And my book, of course.”

“Your family doesn’t know you are Kylo Ren?” she asked in surprise.

“Thank God.”

“But _why_? You are a successful writer, they would be proud of you.”

Ben stared at her as if she had lost her mind. “Clearly you know nothing about my family. They have always wanted more than I could give.”

“You’re a professor, right? You write papers for scientific journals. You teach kids. You are a proper grown-up.” 

Ben’s face acquired a pained expression. “Rey, my mom heads one of the biggest charities in the country. My dad won the Kessel Run Race, setting a record no one can beat to this day. My uncle came _this close_ to winning The Field Medal for Math. My granddad, not Anakin, Bail,” he clarified, “had been the mayor for twenty years. I just… don’t measure up.” He did that thing with his jaw he always did when frustrated and Rey suddenly felt so sad for him. Ben was trying so hard, how could he feel he wasn’t enough?

“I think you are wrong,” she said gently. “You don't realize your own worth and your self-esteem is screwed up.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “Maybe. Or maybe you're just too kind.”

“You, Ben Solo,” she proclaimed jabbing his surprisingly firm chest, “You are a good man, whether you like it or not.”

Rey frowned. She was enveloped in something nice and warm, perfectly sleepy, and yet something bothered her. With a massive effort she forced her eyes open. A little light from the fireplace allowed her to see that the warmth enveloping her was actually Ben’s arms. Did they fall asleep together? Still, it wasn’t him who was bothering her. Rey turned her head toward an odd sound and froze. Through the open door she could see the central staircase drowning in moonlight. It was just enough to make out a woman in a wedding dress slowly descending the stairs. Rey froze in shock. As the woman stopped midway down, Rey remembered herself and frantically shook her companion.

“Ben. Ben!”

He blinked awake slowly. Rey pointed toward the stairs where the woman resumed her descent. She was followed by a tall man in a dark suit.

“What the...” Ben gripped her hand.

Rey’s heart pounded in her ears. The couple descended and disappeared from sight. Their shadows remained visible on the wall, as if cast there by another source of light. The man pointed an accusing finger at the woman. She desperately clutched her chest. He crowded her, his hands finding her neck. The woman fell down. The man held his head in desperation. He grabbed a gun from his pocket, pointed it at himself, and shot. The sound of the gunshot rolled through the silent house, finally spurring Ben and Rey into action. They dashed into the hall and froze. There were no bodies, no signs of murder, nothing. The hall was empty.

“What the fuck was that?!”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my lovely beta fulcrum_of_pemberley.

“What the fuck was that?!” Ben growled. The world had turned upside down. Nothing made sense. The things he just saw _couldn’t_ be real. And they weren’t. The freaking place was empty.

“Ben!” cried Rey behind him, as he madly checked the hall.

The rest of the pajama-clad Scooby gang dashed down the stairs, alarmed.

“Are you OK? We heard shooting!”

“Where _are_ they?!” Ben’s voice boomed through the dark house.

“Who?” Finn, Rose, and Poe looked equally perplexed.

“The bodies!”

“The _what_?”

“Ben, they weren’t real,” said Rey in shaky voice.

He wanted to laugh and to scream at the same time. “Of course they weren’t real!”

“_Who_?” demanded Poe.

“The ghosts.”

Ben couldn’t believe Rey said that. “The ghosts don’t exist!”

“You _saw _them!”

“Guys, I don’t understand,” Finn looked in confusion between the two.

“I don’t know what I saw!” bellowed Ben.

“We saw Anakin strangling Padme!”

“He did _not_ kill her! He couldn’t!”

“OK, OK, calm down,” Poe yelled, effectively shutting them up. “What happened?

“I-,” Rey looked pointedly at Ben. “_We_ saw the ghosts. Everything happened exactly like the medium told us. Anakin attacked his wife, then killed himself. The shooting – that was him.” She glared at Ben as he scoffed. “You saw it too, don’t deny it.”

“_Those_ weren’t my grandparents,” he snapped.

“How do you even know?”

“_Because Padme wasn’t murdered,” _he screamed.

Silence followed. Four pairs of eyes stared at him in shock.

Ben carded his hair in frustration. “_That_ – whatever that was – was a fucking ruse. The ghost wore a freaking wedding dress, Rey! Padme was pregnant with twins. Do you seriously think it would have still fit?”

The girl stared at him, startled. Shock was giving place to her usual sharp wit, which didn’t help the situation in the slightest. She gaped at him.

“But… She did give birth at some point. The murder happened after.…”

Ben sighed, exhausted. “Rey, listen, that’s not what happened.”

“Then what did?” asked Rose carefully.

_There was no other way out of this, right?_ “My grandmother,” he started, “she was a very active, independent woman and her pregnancy was difficult. Anakin begged her to slow down; they finally compromised on staying at Varykino.” He took a deep breath, preparing for the rest. “Padme had dizzy spells she hid from him. One of them happened on the stairs. She fell, her water broke, the medics got there in time to save the children, but not the mother. It was a _tragedy_, not a murder.” A tragedy that had cost his mother and uncle dearly.

“And Anakin?” Rey asked gently, taking his hand in hers.

“Blamed himself, of course. He… he had a depression so severe they had to hospitalize him. He simply lost the will to live. Anakin died several years later in a private clinic.”

“Oh, Ben,” she whispered softly.

“We’re sorry, buddy,” kindly offered Finn.

“Now do you understand? _That_ couldn’t have been them,” he insisted.

“Then who? Or what? That wasn’t a collective hallucination,” frowned Rose. “People can’t go through walls, can they?”

“Can they?” repeated Poe, scrutinizing the said wall.

Ben should have known better than to expect them to leave the matter alone. Ever the investigators, those kids were ready to turn his house upside down right in the middle of the night in their Pjs, given the opportunity. Even Rey, despite still being slightly shaken, participated gladly. Ben was fairly sure their search was useless and yet they proved him wrong.

“Guys? Why is this thing stuck in the wall?” called Poe, pointing at a scrap of lace stuck between the panels.

“That’s her dress,” gasped Rey, to Ben’s horror. “I told you I saw someone wearing Padme’s dress.”

That wasn’t possible. Ghosts don’t leave parts of their attire behind.

“I doubt that,” muttered Finn, easing the offending piece of fabric free.

“Thank God, someone is thinking here,” Ben sighed in relief.

“You too?” Rey gaped at her brother incredulously.

“Peanut, that dress was made out of Chantilly, this is a cheap poly,” the dark-skinned man scoffed, showing her the lace. “It’s coarse, rough, and irritating.”

“Finn, you scare us,” Rose shook her head. “How do you even know that?”

“I have a better question – how did_ this_ get stuck in the wall?” pointed Poe.

They all turned to stare at the mass of wooden panels. Rose knocked on one, then on another. And then she pressed on something and suddenly a part of the wall just moved aside.

“Shit!” she yelped in shock.

“You have a secret tunnel?!” Finn stared at Ben, flabbergasted.

“I have a secret tunnel?!” he gaped back. How could that happen? When did his life turn into this?

“Fuck, we need to investigate!” Poe practically vibrated from excitement and that helped Ben get his thoughts in order.  
“Over my dead body,” he snapped.

“Hey, big guy, we are trying to help!”

“You’re trying to pull a whole Gothic heroine scene here and let me tell you – not on my watch,” promised Ben with narrowed eyes.

Dameron, who was just a second ago looking for a fight, blinked at him confusedly. “A what?”

“He means the ladies in billowing nightgowns exploring spooky castles with a candle,” quipped Finn. “You, in your PJs, lighting your way with a phone is such a great trope inversion/subversion.”

“Not now, Finn!” hissed Rose.

“Seriously, if someone got inside through it, we should at least find out where it leads,” Poe kept arguing.

“Yeah? And hurt yourself in the process?” Ben scoffed at him. “Rey is already injured, I don’t want to be responsible for you, too.”

“Then don’t be,” Poe replied petulantly.

“It doesn’t work like that. What if the stairs are rotten and fall apart?”

“They won’t.”

“How do _you_ know? That one,” Ben pointed at the main staircase, “Broke down and it’s not even in the middle of a wet creepy cellar.”

“That one was tampered with!” Poe snapped.

Everyone froze.

“What?”

“I was going to tell you,” the curly haired man sighed. “The split is too clean. I’m, like, 99% sure someone ‘helped’ it to break.”

Ben’s head spun. The whole implication was shocking. The accident was one thing. But to know that someone purposefully created a dangerous situation… “Shit. Shit, shit, shit. What the fuck is happening around here?”

Rey took a slow, calming breath. “OK, we can work with that. Ben, do you have enemies? Someone who wants to hurt you?”

He laughed mirthlessly. “Well, a couple of my colleagues wouldn’t mind kicking my ass.”

“I’m serious.” She kept staring at him.

Ben’s mind was blank. “No. This is some kind of a sick joke.”

“Well, it’s not funny,” huffed Rose.

“What about the diary?” suddenly piped in Finn.

“The diary?” he frowned.

“The things your grandmother wrote?”

“I told you she didn’t…” Ben’s eyes rounded in sudden realization. “Shit!” He rushed to his grandfather’s study, his ghostbusters following him. With single-minded determination he turned on every single light before starting to turn the pages madly. “Do you see it?” Ben demanded, his eyes blazing madly.

“Yep,” nodded Finn.

“No,” muttered Poe.

“Me neither,” agreed Rey. “Care to share?” 

Ben stared at them. “You really don’t see anything?”

“Well, the pen is a bit different, but it’s a long diary,” admitted Rose.

Ben groaned. “It’s not about the pen. The g’s, the b’s – the loops are different.” He pointed to the offending letters that suddenly changed style in last entries. “The k’s. The w’s. Whoever wrote it, they did a decent job, but they were no Padme.”

They stared at the scribbles with wide eyes. Someone for some reason forged several diary entries, tampered with a stair, and went so far as to role-play a ghost. Who would do such a thing? And why?

“What do we do now?” Rey voiced everyone’s concern.

They all looked at Ben, silently putting him in charge.

“We go to our bedrooms, lock the doors, and try to get some rest. And figure it in the morning,” he decided.

And they did, but not before they pushed a bookcase against the secret door, making sure nothing and no one else could get in.

“I was thinking,” Poe eyed Ben carefully over his coffee mug, “that since you won’t allow us to check the tunnel, we could at least start with the blueprints?”

Rey rolled her eyes. “Poe, we already _have_ the blueprints. Do you seriously think I wouldn’t tell you if there were secret tunnels?”

“So you have an incomplete set, right?” the man kept pestering her. “Are there other plans? Schematics? Anything?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“And, purely hypothetically, where could such things be?” he turned to Ben again.

“My grandfather’s study.”

“Which we have already checked,” interjected Rose.

“What about the library?” suggested Finn.

“We don’t keep documents there,” the owner pointed out.

“No, I mean public library. Families like yours donate things, right?” the dark-skinned man grinned excitedly. “You know, old letters and stuff? They could possibly donate even secret blueprints.”

“Possibly,” shrugged Ben.

“Let’s focus on that,” Poe gladly jumped at his chance.

It took a bit of research to realize that their options were pretty limited.

“OK, so there are two options: Theed Public Library and Naboo archives,” concluded Rey. “Ben, you’ll have to go with us too; I think the archive might refuse to give private information to non-family.”

“Sure,” he agreed easily, to her surprise. “Do we all go together?”

“It would be faster if we split,” pointed out Rose.

“Can I go with Ben?” begged Finn. “Please? I’ve never been to the archives.” He made puppy dog eyes, causing Rey to sigh in exasperated affection.

“Finn, you are secretly five.”

“Whatever you say, big sis,” he grinned.

“We’ll take the library then,” decided Poe, linking his arm with Rose.

As they drove through the town Rey gaped at the amount of pumpkins and various Halloween decorations. Somehow with all their ghostbusting she’d completely forgotten about the impeding holiday. Judging from Finn’s expression, he had too.

The archive, though, was a boring gray building without any hints of festivity. Standing at the reception area, they could see long rows of shelves with boxes, boxes, boxes. 

“Hello. Is anybody there?” Ben called.

In a few seconds an extremely tall blond woman with a pinched expression appeared behind the counter.

“Good morning, Sir. What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to see any documents you have regarding Varykino Mansion.”

“And you are?” she prompted.

“Ben Solo.”

The archivist lifted her perfectly styled eyebrow. “The owner? Very well. I suggest your friends wait here.”

“They are my assistants,” Ben informed her sternly. “We are here to conduct research, Ms.…”

“Phasma.”

“Ms. Phasma, research for which their presence is _vital_.” Ben used his height to tower over her which was certainly not an easy achievement.

“I see.” The archivist pinched her lips. “Follow me. Please, keep in mind that you are not authorized to work with most of these documents _or _the catalogue without supervision. Our system is very complex and without proper training….”

“Ms. Phasma,” Ben interjected, “I’m a university professor, I believe I know what I’m doing.”

She narrowed her cold blue eyes on him. “Very well.”

The archivist led them to the visitors’ area before loudly dropping a massive box on the table and disappearing without another word.

“That lady gives me the creeps,” mumbled Finn.

“You’re not alone,” huffed Rey. “Do you think they keep a press archive, too?” she asked, quietly checking if Phasma was nearby.

Ben glanced at the signs marking the sections. “That way,” he nodded.

“Finn?” Rey turned to her brother who was already getting up. “Ben?”

He waved her off. “I’ll call you if I find anything.”

The good thing about the archives was that everything was perfectly labeled. They indeed kept press records and Rey eagerly dug into the year of Padme's death, leaving her brother to roam around. After all, it wasn't every day that he could feel himself a character in one of his precious books.

“Rey,” Finn called. “Rey! Look how cool this is. They have Naboo maps for the last three hundred years!” She rolled her eyes. God, her brother was such a nerd. “I’m sure it is cool, but I’d rather find something about Padme.”

“You have no taste,” he scoffed. “Hmm, this one looks odd.” 

Rey promptly zoned out until a cold voice hissed, “What do you think you are doing?!" 

She jumped on her seat turning to a furious Phasma who was currently staring Finn down. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t do anything…"

“You are not permitted to access these documents!" the blond snapped.

“These are just maps…"

“They belong to the City Council. Are you aware that flash is harmful for the paints?" she hissed, pointing at his phone. "What are you even doing here? You are not supposed to leave the visitors’ area."

“Ms. Phasma, I just…"

“Come on, Finn," Rey whispered, grabbing his hand and tugging him back to Ben, the archivist hot on their heels.

“Professor Solo, I caught your _assistants_ breaking into the restricted sections. Please, either look after them or remove them from the premises," she informed him coldly.

“Thank you, Ms. Phasma." As she abruptly turned on her heel, Ben whispered to them, "What were you doing?"

“Just checking old press clippings," whispered Rey back.

“I just took a peek at some old Naboo maps," Finn pouted.

“And you?"

Ben sighed. “Wasting my time. It’s mostly old correspondence and such." He pushed aside a stack of letters. "Fascinating from a certain point of view, but useless for us." Rey looked at Finn who shrugged and grabbed an unchecked folder. The day promised to be long and boring.

They gathered together in the kitchen for a dinner, the rain outside adding to the cozy picture.

“Did you find anything?" Poe asked Ben.

“Not really. You?"

“Same. We tried to find newspapers that mention your grandparents, but there was absolutely nothing. As if someone purposefully hushed the news."

“Exactly," agreed Rey. "Finn did find some old maps, though."

“Why am I not surprised?" wondered Rose.

“Hey, they’re cool," Finn grumbled. "Let me show you." He went through his photo folder on his phone. Rey lingered on the last picture.

“Huh, funny. Where is Varykino?"

Her friends frowned as Finn enlarged the photo. No matter what he did, Varykino was missing.

“No way!"

“That’s not possible."

“Can it be a mistake?" Rose, ever the logician, suggested.

“Enlarge this part," Rey pointed at the inscription. "Naboo District Development Plan, 2025." She looked at Ben, puzzled.

“That can’t be right. No one can touch Varykino. It’s preserved by the Historical Society," he responded.

“Yeah, but if you sell it to," she checked the inscription, "First Order Development.…"

“It’s not for sale," Ben insisted.

“Wait, your mom said someone made her an offer," pointed out Finn.

“Yeah, some ginger prick made me an offer too. We turned them all down. No way in hell we are selling Varykino. Case closed."

Rey blinked. A stray thought bothered her.

“You know, it’s just a proposed project. Projects get closed down," Poe supported him.

“Hope so. It would be a shame to destroy this house," Finn patted the wall lovingly. 

“Guys, who wants coffee?" Rose interrupted.

“I would kill for a Pumpkin Spice Latte," Poe said wistfully.

“Speaking of pumpkins, can you believe it’s Halloween already?" Finn asked as they moved toward the parlor. “Rey, you coming?" 

She snapped out of her thoughts to glance at her brother. “Give me a moment. I have to make a phone call."

“Suit yourself."

When all of them were securely out of earshot, she quickly slipped outside on the porch and dialed the number, her hands vibrating with anticipation. It was just an odd suspicion, but also so logical. It made sense in a certain weird way.

“Hello." 

“Hello, Leia, it’s Rey."

The other woman's voice immediately warmed. "How are you, dear? Is Benny giving you a hard time again?"

“No, no, nothing like that," she chuckled.

“Good to hear it. He can be a bit grumpy, but he is just shy," Leia said fondly. "Heaven knows, my son didn’t take after me or his dad."

“Mmm," Rey offered noncommittally.

“Sorry, dear, you wanted to ask me something?"

“Yes. You mentioned that someone made you an offer to buy Varykino?"

“Ah, yes, several times," Leia huffed. "A slimy gentleman and an insufferable ginger. Pestered both me and Luke until I had to take drastic measures. Why do you ask?"

Rey's heart pounded in her chest. “Just checking something." She frowned. "Drastic measures? What did you do?"

“Oh, I simply said that we transferred the ownership to Ben. My boy may be a sweetheart, but God, is he cranky before his first cup of coffee. They left him alone in a week," Leia said proudly.

A shiver made its way down Rey's spine.

“Do you by any chance remember who made you that offer?"

“I think the ginger was called Hugs or something. Give me a second." There was a sound of shuffling. "Yes, I still have his card. Armitage Hux, First Order Development."

“Are you sure about that?" the girl asked insistently.

“Positive. Rey, what’s going on?" Leia immediately picked up on her mood.

“Not sure yet, but I have a hypothesis. I’ll let you know when I have the proof. Don’t worry," she reassured the woman.

“If you say so, " Leia said dubiously.

“Have a good night and happy Halloween," Rey chirped.

“You too. Tell Benny I said hi." The call disconnected. 

Rey's heartbeat pounded in her ears. She did it. She solved the mystery. “Guys, you’ll never guess-" Something heavy connected with her head and her world ceased to exist.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who haunts Varykino? What's happened to Rey? Will the team be able to escape? You are about to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the last chapter! Thank you for everyone who left comments and kudos for this little story and especially to my wonderful supportive fulcrum_of_pemberley. You all are the best!

Ben glanced at the window, noticing how the glass was covered in streaks of rain. The warm drink in his hands only added to the comfort of being inside on a cold and wet day. The gang took seats on the couch, BB-the-wingwoman napping contentedly near their feet. Still, the picture looked incomplete. Ben frowned. “Where’s Rey?”

“On the phone last time I checked,” Finn replied. 

“Probably in the library; the reception here is shit and I wouldn't go outside in this weather,” Rose scrunched her nose in disgust.

“She is taking her sweet time,” Poe quipped.

“If she’s talking to my mom, she won't be back any time soon,” Ben sighed heavily. Leia was probably talking her ears off inquiring what Rey thought of her baby boy and whether she was willing to provide pretty grandchildren. His mother was exactly like that. His train of thought was interrupted by the lights flickering off and back on again.

“Seriously?” Rose groaned.

“It's like all slashers at once - a bunch of kids in a house outside of town, all alone, _until they aren't_,” quipped Finn in hushed voice.

His companions glared at him. Poe jabbed him in the ribs lightly for good measure.

“Finn, not _again_.”

“But the lights, the weather, any moment we are going to see a hooded figure outside,” the man pouted.

“Like Rose said, not now,” Poe warned him. 

“You have to agree...” The lights flickered again and went out completely.

“Shit!”

“Fuck!”

Realizing that the lights wouldn’t come back, all of them turned on their phones, only adding to the horror movie atmosphere.

“The emergency generator will kick in at any moment,” Ben calmly informed them, trying to be a responsible adult in this situation. Surely, everything would be fine in a moment.

“Or not,” darkly commented Rose as nothing happened.

“Let me guess, it’s in the basement,” Finn sighed.

“Yep.” An eerie silence followed. Could his vacation get even worse?

“I think we need to split up,” Poe suggested, making his friends groan.

“So that the killer can have an easier time getting us?”

“Finn, shut up or I’ll kick you,” Rose snapped.

“Did you say _kiss_?” he asked hopefully, like the five-year old he was.

“I said _kick_ and you are _not _going to like it.”

“I’ll check the basement,” offered Ben, wanting to distance himself from the childrens’ fight. Seriously, all he’d wanted was a week of quiet work, not babysitting kids in a slasher set-up.

“Wait, do you know where your family keeps candles? Or flashlights?” Poe stopped him.

“Yes?”

“Take Finn and go find them. We’ll go to the basement,” Rose commanded.

“Are you sure you know what to do with the generator?” Ben asked the woman skeptically, earning himself a withering glare.

“_Are you_?”

“I… could figure it out?” he mumbled weakly. Technical stuff was Han’s thing, something he did _not_ inherit.

Rose sighed. “Ben, I did this at home all the time and I have Poe for heavy lifting. You are the only person who at least marginally knows where everything is kept, so…”

“Hey, and I’m completely useless?” Finn pouted.

“Nope, I just can’t work if you keep suggesting those blood-curdling scenarios,” the woman scoffed. “And after you’re done, go and find Rey.”

“Unless she finds you first,” Poe quipped.

“Whatever,” Finn mumbled reluctantly.

When Ben said he knew where the candles were kept, he didn’t quite tell the truth. He had a vague idea where they _might_ be kept, kitchen and pantry among them. Maybe the attic. The kitchen was closer, so that’s where they went first. It took some time to rummage through the cardboards with their phones being the only sources of light. So far, he had only managed to locate the matches.

Finally, Finn yelled, “Found them.”

Ben let out a sigh of relief. “Now let’s go find Rey.” He heard an eerie metallic click behind him.

“Not so fast,” said a familiar cold voice.

Both he and Finn turned to see Phasma-the-evil-archivist pointing a gun at them.

Rey groaned. Or at least she tried to. Her heart pounded, her whole body hurt, and something restricted her movements. She opened her eyes only to see nothing. No, not nothing. _Shit. How...? What...?_

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Rey realized she was lying on the floor of a very cluttered room. A familiar room. The attic. Her wrists and legs were bound and something was stuck in her mouth. A wave of panic surged through her. What happened? Where was everyone? Her breathing became short and labored and she had to force herself to calm down. Rey needed to get out and fast.

Getting rid of the gag was easy. She spat the piece of fabric out and cried, “Help! Help!” Nothing. The house was silent. Where were her friends? Last time she saw them they were on the ground floor and she was calling Leia to ask about....

“Shit, shit, shit!” Rey cursed, remembering everything. “It’s not ghosts, it’s _never _fucking ghosts!” She needed to get to Ben as soon as possible. It was a bit difficult to free her wrists, but Rey managed. Whoever bound her knew nothing about knots. Her ankles followed. She was more or less fine, just a couple of bruises and a painful lump on her head, but God, was she pissed!

Her phone! Rey winced at the bright light. It was intact, but there was no reception. Of fucking course. Moving carefully, she located the door. Locked. It didn’t budge when she kicked it; the wretched thing was sturdy. “Fuck!” Rey yelled. “Fucking door. The key, where is the key?” Could a spare set be somewhere here? Possibly. The attic was massive. But she didn’t have time for that. Fighting the racing panic, Rey kept mumbling to herself. “Come on, ghosts, if you _are_ here, give me a sign. The key would suffice, too. No? Thought so.”

The key wasn’t on the floor. It wasn’t hanging on a nail nearby. Not in the cabinets either. Maybe she would have better luck finding something for a lockpick. With every new checked place Rey became more and more desperate. It was useless. She would be stuck here forever while her friends down there would suffer a terrible fate. And Ben.… Fuck, she was supposed to help him. To save him. With angry tears in her eyes, Rey abruptly rounded the wardrobe and knocked into another person. With a yelp she jumped back, connecting with a massive mirror. “The fuck!” Except it wasn’t a person. It was a dressform wearing the ill-fated wedding dress. She breathed out in relief.

“Are there hair pins? There should be hair pins,” she mumbled, eying the veil. If there were, Rey could try to pick the lock with them. “No?” she huffed in disappointment. How the hell did the veil stay put then? Rey inspected the back of the dressform. Nothing. She let out a frustrated growl, glaring in the mirror in front of her. Her head floated over the dress in the darkness as if she herself became the ghost. A wicked, wicked thought appeared in her head.

“That’s a bad idea. The worst one,” Rey argued with herself. “I can’t do it anyway if the door stays locked. Fuck,” she cursed, her sanity slowly leaving her. “OK, OK. If you think what I think is a good idea, give me a sign,” she said to no one in particular. “I’ll do it, I promise I will.” Something on the other side of the attic fell, making a noise. Rey yelped and collided with an old-fashioned writing table. From the impact the top drawer opened, revealing a set of keys. “Oh fuck me,” she muttered in shock.

Of all the possible ways his evening could have gone, Ben couldn’t have even imagined _this_. Subtly trying to angle himself between Finn and the gun, he glared at the blonde. Why was she here? Was _this_ the robbery he’d worried about?

“What do you want?” Ben asked.

“For someone who claims to be a professor you are fairly dumb,” the woman scoffed.

“For someone who claims to be an archivist you are way too good with a gun,” he shot back.

Phasma’s lips curled up slightly. “I am. Don’t ask for a demonstration.”

A shaggy-looking man with rope in his hands and an infuriating smirk appeared from behind her.

“You!” spat Finn, as the man approached to bind his hands. “That asshole touched Rey! What did you do to my sister?!”

“I just put that bitch in her place,” the prick rolled his eyes.

If there wasn’t a gun in this equation, Ben would certainly make him regret him regret his existence. How dared he?!

“Be good and you’ll see her again. Probably,” the man grinned.

“You bastard!” Finn lunged at him and got knocked in the stomach. “Ow!”

Ben rushed to help but was stopped by Phasma shooting into the air.

“Careful, boys,” she coldly warned both them and her accomplice.

“You are a dead man,” Ben promised the smirking prick.

“I’ll help you hide the body,” Finn muttered darkly.

Their captors escorted them to the barely lit parlor (where did the light came from?), pointing at the chairs. “Sit.”

Ben took in the light strategically placed around the room. When had these people had time to do that? How many of them were there? He had to remain calm, panicking wouldn’t help anything. The floor behind him creaked and he turned around to see an old man in a brocade suit. Who on earth wore gold-colored suits?

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” the man asked in a deceptively soft voice.

“I could ask you the same,” Ben retorted, eying the newcomer.

“James Snoke at your service. Or, rather, you are at mine,” he smiled in a deeply sickening way.

“What do you want?” It didn’t look like a robbery, but for the love of God Ben couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Plenty of things, my boy. All in due time. Take a seat,” Snoke offered like a generous host, motioning to the chair near the table. “Release his hands.”

“I don’t think…” started Phasma.

“It’s not your place to think,” the man cut in. “Do it. He has nowhere to go,” Snoke paused meaningfully, “unless he never wants to see his friends again.”

“You son of a….” Ben jerked only to be forced into his seat.

“Ah-ah-ah. You are not calling the shots here,” Snoke warned.

“What did you do to them?”

The man turned toward the sounds of shouting and curses. “Ah, here they are.”

“Rose, Poe!” Finn cried out as the two appeared under the escort of a slightly shaken Madame Netal and the gun-wielding ginger prick who Ben remembered from the trip to town where he offered to buy Varykino. What was his name, Hugs?

“Boss, this _animal _bit me!” the ginger whined, waving his gun at Rose who sported a fresh bruise on her cheekbone. The girl barred her teeth at him.

“He kicked BB!” Poe spat with pure hatred.

Ben had never seen him more infuriated.

“That rat is a menace!”

“It won’t be for long,” Snoke calmly stated.

“Where is Rey?” Ben asked loudly. Maybe she got away? Could she call the police?

“She is safe. For now,” the old man paused. “If you cooperate.”

“What do you want?”

A slow smile spread over the man’s face. “Short answer – I want your signature. Long answer – I want Varykino gone and the property rebuilt.”

Ben’s eyes widened. “You are…”

“The CEO of First Order Development,” Snoke finished for him. “And _you_ are going to transfer your ownership rights to me.”

“Not gonna happen,” Ben scoffed.

“No?” Snoke feigned surprise. “You don’t care about the life and safety of your friends? Or that lovely little lady? Teedo,” he nodded toward Phasma’s assistant, “has some interest in her.”

“You bastard!” Ben hissed. The man was certainly dead, and his death would be painful.

“I must say that’s not quite true. My parents were legally married,” the old man objected smoothly. “So?”

It’s not like they had any choice, Ben thought. They all had to play along until an opportunity struck. “I’ll do it.”

“Finally, a rational thought.”

“If you tell me why,” Ben added.

“Why what?”

“Why are you doing this?” If there wasn’t a way out, maybe there could be a way around? He glanced at his friends. Both Poe and Finn glared at their captors. Rose, though, sat with the blankest expression ever, only her shoulders moving ever so slightly. When she caught his stare, she gave an imperceptible nod. Yes, it’s always the quiet ones.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Snoke scoffed. “Profit.”

“No, that’s not it,” Ben insisted, trying to buy them all some time. Maybe Rey did get out. Maybe the rescue was coming. He just had to wait.

“No?” Snoke looked surprised.

“This feels personal. Why us? Why Varykino?”

“You are smart, Mr. Solo, but not as smart as you think,” the old man suddenly grinned. “It doesn’t matter how much time you are trying to buy, it won’t work.”

“Indulge my curiosity then.”

“Very well. I’m feeling generous today.” The man sat comfortably. “Once upon a time there was a poor orphan Jamie Snoke. He was taken in by his cold and indifferent uncle, you’ve heard of him. Sheev Palpatine.”

“You...?” Ben gaped.

“Knew your grandparents, yes. How do you think I came up with this plan?” Snoke snorted. “Poor Jamie was a moron to think he could get his uncle’s attention, no, Sheev was focused on his protegee, Anakin Skywalker.” Snoke stared at Ben pointedly. “Now _Anakin_ was everything Jamie wanted to be. An orphan himself, he made himself a name, a career, powerful friends, married an heiress; he was living a dream. He was my _hero_. Imagine my shock when he threw all of it away for a _girl_,” the man sneered in disgust.

“He _loved_ Padme.”

“He threw away everything for a pair of pretty eyes,” the man snapped. “That day I promised myself that sentiment would never distract me from the true purpose in life – power.”

“You are delusional,” Poe interjected. “If you let the past die, why you are here?”

“Simple. Building a resort in Naboo with the proper infrastructure will bring tourists. Tourism means money. The Hutts on the city council agree. And if in the process I get to turn this old pile of stones into something modern and progressive, so be it,” Snoke grinned.

“You call your stunt ‘modern and progressive’?” Ben rolled his eyes.

“Unlike your mother and uncle. We could have avoided this mess if they weren’t so stubborn. You have to admit, it was delicate work.”

“To pretend you are a ghost? To send us on a wild goose chase?” The man was clearly mental. “How did you even come up with it?”

“You’ll have to thank your mother, my boy; it was her idea to renovate the house.”

Ben frowned. “I don’t follow.”

“I wouldn’t have even thought of the Skywalkers if some things from the ‘_haunted Varykino mansion_’,” Snoke air-quoted the phrase, “didn’t appear on the black market. When it coincided with our Naboo development plan I knew it was fate. I traced the goods to a certain Unkar Plutt. Old fool refused to cooperate, citing ‘fucking ghosts,’” the man rolled his eyes in distaste. “Teedo here had no such qualms. Anyway, it gave me an idea.”

“Really?” Finn snorted incredulously.

“I decided to look into the matter of Varykino. My first action was to visit the archives where I found very interesting blueprints thanks to Phasma. You met her, right?” He smiled fondly at the blonde. “It was easy to get her onboard, especially since it wasn’t the first time she’d sold sensitive information.”

“That is irrelevant,” Phasma snapped. Snoke ignored her outburst.

“She also helped to remove the articles on your grandparents from the libraries, so that nothing contradicted our tale. Now I only needed to add a bit of drama to the story. When Teedo mentioned the wedding dress they were unable to take since its absence would be too obvious, I knew what I had to do. Fixing Padme’s diary was the finishing touch.”

“And all of this for a _building_?” Ben asked numbly.

“For the future, you silly child. I gave you an out, didn’t I? You turned down my boy Armitage. Did you know that his father is a viscount?”

“The idiot disinherited me,” the ginger prick spat.

“And now he’s my right hand. I suspected that you would refuse, so I fed these pesky kids a nice little story and gave them that leaflet which led to Bazine,” Snoke pointed out Madame Netal. “Bazine here is a wannabe actress.”

“Aspiring actress,” she corrected nervously.

“Yes, yes, my dear. You were a brilliant Ghost Whisperer, but Padme Skywalker was your greatest role. Yes, the performance was all her and Armitage,” Snoke added for their benefit.

“I knew he was involved, their stories were the only two that matched up,” Rose muttered.

“Didn’t help you much, though, did it?” Snoke taunted her. “Enough of this nonsense. Sign,” he dropped a stack of paper in front of Ben.

“And if I do, what’s next?” the younger man asked.

“We simply drop you and your friends somewhere outside of town,” Snoke waved his hand as if it explained anything. “It’ll take you a couple of days to get back to civilization and by the time you try to take legal action, Varykino would be leveled. A certain sum of money will appear in your account since,” the man winked, “you sold me the house fair and square. You won’t be able prove anything. Organa-Skywalkers might have influence, but not as much as I do,” he said with satisfaction. “Sign.”

“You know that she lied to you?” Ben asked suddenly. “Leia. She _didn’t_ give me Varykino. She just wanted you off her back.”

“That’s enough, sign,” Snoke demanded.

“You aren’t afraid, are you?” Finn asked suddenly.

“Of what?”

“Ghosts.”

Snoke laughed. “You morons, there are no ghosts in Varykino!”

Suddenly Bazine made a choked sound. Everyone turned to her, then followed her terrified gaze. The ghost of Padme Skywalker in her wedding dress was quietly descending the stairs.

“Please work, please, please, please, just work,” Rey begged all the gods in existence. Perhaps she had gone mad herself, how else could she explain why she was hanging out in a dark corridor lighted only by moonlight, wearing the dress of Ben’s dead grandmother. The rain had calmed down and sounds in the quiet house carried very well, allowing her to hear enough to know how dangerous the situation was down there. With no reception, Rey couldn’t call the police, only distract the criminals to let her friends free themselves.

“Please just work,” she whispered, adjusting her veil and hoping no one realized she was wearing sneakers. Rey took a deep breath and stepped down the stairs.

Several things happened at once. Madame Netal let out a choking cry and fainted. Snoke screamed. Phasma shot in the air and got tackled by both Finn and Poe. The tall pasty redhead yelped and got tazed by Rose. Ben collided with Teedo, effectively knocking him out.

Not bad for a five-second appearance.

“No! You are not real! You are not real!” Snoke screamed, backing away.

Rey’s eyes zeroed in on him.

“How dare you!” she hissed, approaching the man.

“You are not real!” he screamed, desperately trying to get away from her. In his haste he didn’t notice BB and ended up tripping over the dog. Rey loomed over him, yanking away her veil.

“Perhaps not. Perhaps I’m just a figment of your imagination that’s going to haunt you for the rest of your life,” she promised darkly as Snoke’s eyes focused somewhere over her left ear, his face twisting in pure horror.

“You are not real!”

Suddenly the front door flew open, revealing two armed men and a woman in uniform.

“Hands in the air, police!”

Everyone froze in their respective places. The lights chose that moment to flicker back on.

“Let me get this straight,” Captan Holdo, a willowy lavender-haired woman who looked nothing like a police officer, yet acted like an admiral, sighed. “An evil property developer, a disinherited viscount, a wannabe actress, and two petty thieves tried to haunt you so that they could build a fancy resort here?”

Rey nodded. “More or less.”

Captain Holdo shared a look with Officer Mitaka. Their colleague Officer Wexley was currently checking security on the police van. Less than twenty minutes ago the police had managed to put the criminals into handcuffs and lock them in the van. Hux was screaming for a lawyer, Netal crying her eyes out, Phasma and Teedo just glared at them, while Snoke, pale as sheet, kept muttering about Padme not being real. The gang was currently icing their bruises as the officers tried to make head or tails of their statements.

“That’s the wildest thing I’ve heard since old Krennic made soup from the wrong mushrooms and Ahsoka Tano started stripping right in the central square,” Capitan Holdo shook her head in amazement. “We are going to make it to the news.”

“You are,” Ben agreed. Rey squeezed his hand, happy that he was safe. All of them were.

“What’s going to happen to them?” Finn asked.

“That’s up to a judge, but nothing good. Mr. Snoke’s lawyer probably will insist that his client is mentally unstable and Miss Netal claims she had no idea what was going on, but they aren’t that good of actors,” Captain Holdo scoffed.

“I see,” Rey nodded. “How did you know we needed help?”

The officers shared another look.

“Thank Maz Kanata, she pestered us until we came and you can’t say no to that woman,” Officer Mitaka admitted with a certain amount of apprehension. Apparently Maz invoked the fear of God in half the town.

“Well, that’s it,” Captain Holdo announced, getting up. “We have your contact information. Will you guys be OK to stay here on your own?” she asked with concern.

Rey glanced at her friends. They nodded. “Yep.”

“Great. If you don’t have any questions.…”

“I do,” Officer Mitaka interjected. “Why are you wearing a wedding dress?”

Rey shrugged. “It’s Halloween?”

Rey leaned over the balcony’s banister, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. After the rain the air was fresh and crisp, exactly what Rey needed to clear her head. She didn’t turn when she heard steps behind her. A warm hand landed on the small of her back. 

“Are you OK?” she heard Ben asking.

“Yes, just shaken. How are you?”

He leaned on the banister beside her. “Better than expected. The dress suits you,” he added unexpectedly.

Rey flushed. “I think I ruined it.” She was sure she left a couple of tears.

“At least you were pretty badass,” Ben said with amusement.

“Thanks.”

They were quiet for a couple of moments. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Rey, I was thinking…”

“Yes?” she replied, fascinated with the thing he was doing with his jaw.

“When this is over, would you like to meet me?” Ben looked at her hopefully.

“Meet you?”

“For a coffee or something,” he ran a hand through his gorgeous hair nervously and Rey simply couldn’t look away. “I want to know you better, not only as Rey-the-Scooby-Doo-gang-leader.”

“Scooby-Doo gang?” she snorted.

“You know what I mean,” Ben scoffed. “I want to know the real you. Would you let me?”

Her heart fluttered in her chest. She smiled cheekily. “Depends.”

“On what?” he blinked, puzzled.

“On when you shut up and finally kiss me,” Rey stated firmly.

For a moment Ben stared at her, gobsmacked, then leaned in and did exactly that. She wrapped her arms around him and allowed herself to get lost in the kiss, free of stress and worry, as his plush lips connected with hers and his hand caressed her cheek. They parted with dazed expressions and shy smiles. Rey opened her mouth to say something, but then her eyes caught an odd blue light.

“Ben?” she whispered, reaching for his hand.

“What? Oh fuck!” he muttered, turning around. Behind them a beautiful woman with flowers in her hair held hands with a tall man with a light scar on his cheek. Both were smiling. They also bore an uncanny resemblance to Padme and Anakin. And they were blue. And transparent. And glowing.

Rey blinked and they were gone.

“That’s.…”

“You saw them…”

“They are…”

“Real,” Ben whispered in awe.

Occasional blue sparks disappeared in the night sky. The ghosts had left Varykino. All was well.

March 2020

Rey tugged her boyfriend into the booth, almost making him fall.

“You’re late,” Poe observed. He, Finn, and Rose had already placed their orders.

“We got stuck in the elevator,” she replied, flushing. Technically, they didn’t get _stuck _stuck, they just got a little handsy with one another. Not that Poe, of all people, had any right to complain. Some things she simply couldn’tunsee.

“Uh huh. And Rey’s shade of lipstick really suits you, Ben,” Rose smiled cheekily.

“Fuck,” the man muttered, flushing and wiping the stain.

“How’s it going?” Finn asked amiably.

A lot of things had changed since October. Rey and Ben started dating, which made Leia particularly smug. So had Finn, Poe, and Rose. Ben came clean to his parents about his writing career. Like Rey predicted, they were extremely proud and supportive which encouraged him to consider letting the rest of the world know who Kylo Ren was. Rose’s parents made peace with her career choice, since engineering didn’t sound that bad after all. Poe returned to his work and, so far, he’d managed to keep himself in check. Rey submitted her thesis and so did Finn. Life was good.

“Can’t wait for graduation,” she confessed. Rey passed her defense with flying colors and now wanted to rest after her hard work.

“My agent scheduled my first press-conference,” Ben admitted shyly. He was still worried, but after discovering that Dean Kenobi was a massive fan he felt a bit better about going public. His agent was completely ecstatic.

“Congratulations!”

“I need an autograph!”

“Finn, you have a ton of them, not to mention I’m dating your sister,” Ben rolled his eyes.

“Still.”

“How’s _your_ script?” he asked. Finn was particularly secretive about his project and everyone was dying of curiosity.

“So, um, people from HBO might or might not want to look at it,” the man said shyly.

“Seriously? Will you finally tell us what it’s about?” Rey cried out.

“Oh, OK, so the plucky young heroine has to work in the ancestral home of a brooding recluse writer who keeps far too many secrets, not to mention the family ghosts.”

Rey stared at Ben. He stared back. “What the fuck, man, did you write about _us?!”_ he groaned.

“Well, my first idea was to write about a spirited young man exploring his own sexuality amidst the background of mysterious and dark events, but you know, whatever sells,” Finn replied nonchalantly.

“I can’t believe it,” Rey muttered.

“I can,” Poe quipped.

Ben glared at him.

“What? They’ll get a hot dude with nice hair to play you. Cool!”

“Any other news?” Rey asked carefully.

“What are you doing for spring break?” Rose asked.

“Nothing, why?”

“Do you remember my sister Paige?”

Rey frowned. “The one who works at a spa resort?”

“She is a manager now. Mustafar Hot Spring is super popular,” the girl supplied.

“So?” Rey asked suspiciously.

“They’ve run into some issues.”

“_Issues_?”

Rose squirmed in her seat. “So, they said there have been sightings of a yellow-eyed demon who might or might not be connected with the famous pirate Vader and his lost gold.”

“And?” Ben prompted.

“The administration is at their wits’ end, clients are canceling reservations, even the press is there. Paige is wondering if we want the case,” Rose finished pleadingly.

“I don’t know, didn’t you get enough of that in Varykino?” Rey asked.

“They will cover all expenses,” the girl shrugged. “It’s a fancy resort, so basically it’s a prepaid holiday.”

“We need to think about it.”

Rose beamed. “Sure. But I already booked you a newlywed suite, so…”

Rey looked at Ben. Her boyfriend looked back. Both gulped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! Do you like the end? It's exactly what Scooby-Doo teaches us - the things you should be afraid of are not ghosts or monsters, but evil property developers 😉


End file.
